Another Story 2
by cracker-jacks000
Summary: A story that cant easily be described in two sentences. In a world of budding romance and changes, the kh gang try to adapt and not get absorbed in all the drama that surrounds high school. Do not need to read AS1. RikuxNamine. SoraxKairi. RoxasxOC.
1. home again

**A/N: **WHOOO! Another Story 2 is here! I'm so exited!

**A Important Note: **_For all the people who didn't read Another Story 1, all you really need to know is that Riku and Namine are together, Sora and Kairi are together, Olette and Hayner are together, and Selphie and Tidus are together. + they all just got back from camp and most of the characters are VERY OOC! Namine's mother died a month before summer, and Riku lives alone with his brother. Plus, KIM IS EVIL AND RIKU'S EX GIRLFRIEND! _

**YAYS! **In this story, I'll be adding new faces, like Reno (FF7: Advent Children) Axel (KH2) and Maybe some of the other organization members. I'm also adding more of my friends! But you'll here about them LOTS later. Also, some old faces too.

I hope you enjoy the sequel! I'm planning on it being pretty darn long so this lats a long time!

**REMEMBER!**_YOU MUST LEAVE REVIEWS, OR I REFUSE TO UPDATE! All of my reviewers from the first story already know this, before I update I must get at least 8 reviews. _

Here we go:D Enjoy!

p.s. It feels REALLY weird starting from chapter 1 again :o!

**CHAPTER 1! **

****

"Oh…" Namine sighed peacefully, breathing in the sweet sent that filled her house. It smelt like brownies… It smelt like home, "It's so good to be home!" Namine set down her luggage next to the couch in the living room and followed the glorious smell to her kitchen.

"You're home!" Her dad appeared in front of the kitchen before Namine could even say anything, with his big oven mitts on and powder all over his clothes.. He quickly ran up to her and gave her a big fatherly hug.

"Dad…" Namine hugged him back, painful as it was. She was nearly being broken in two in his strong arms. Her dad soon pulled away and ran back in to the kitchen as Namine followed him. When she stepped into the kitchen she nearly fell over laughing at the mess her dad had made; There was batter, sugar, and chocolate all over the walls and counters as if he literally threw all the materials in the recipe across the room.

"What did you do this time?" Namine asked, cautiously stepping into the kitchen, watching her step and making sure she wouldn't slip on anything.

Her dad turned to her with a big plate of double chocolate brownies and smiled from ear to ear, "Well," He started, walking past Namine and into the dining room, slipping of his oven mitts and setting the plate of brownies in the middle of the table, "I tried, and tried, and tried, and after seven tries I finally got it right! I really wanted to have something for you to eat when you got home, just like your mother used to do. She really spoiled you, and now I have to start cooking dinner for us every night too so I thought why not start with brownies?"

Namine brushed the powder off her clothes from his hug before, and then walked up to the table, leaning over the edge and grabbing a brownie.

Her dad looked at her pleadingly as she slowly took a small bite, and chewed for a moment, and then swallowed. "Well?" Her dad asked her, clasping his hands together and leaning towards her a bit.

"It's good!" Namine smiled sweetly, and then took another bite, "Did you use mom's old recipe?"

Her dad nodded, and then headed into the kitchen again, grabbing a mop and a few washcloths along the way from the closet, "I better clean up now, huh?" He stopped at the opening of the kitchen and scratched the back of his head, laughing.

"I'll help!" Namine volunteered. It was odd, but she loved cleaning, especially if there was something to listen to while she was doing it. Namine ran past her dad, almost slipping on some powder spilled on the floor, and over to the far end of the kitchen to turn on the radio. Once done she grabbed a washcloth from her dad and put a little water from the sink on it, and then started to clean off the walls.

Her dad continued to laugh as he filled up a bucket with water for the mop and started to mop up the mess on the floor, starting with the outside of the kitchen first, and then going in towards the middle as he went. It was a pretty bad idea, but the two didn't seem to mind because they were too distracted by the music playing and started to both dance as they cleaned.

Namine danced over to the sink to wash off the washcloth and begin on a new wall as her dad also danced over to the sink again to re-fill the bucket with clean water, but when he was walking over to the counter was he slipped and glided into Namine who crashed against the counter, knocking over an open case of power that fell on the two and the whole area.

They both ended up landing on their butts on the kitchen floor and started laughing hysterically when they realized what had just happened. Namine's dad held his stomach and fell over and laid flat on the ground as he laughed out loud, and Namine leaned against the bottom of the counter covering her mouth laughing hard also.

When her dad could gain balance again, he stood up and held out a hand for his daughter, who gratefully accepted his offer and he helped her back onto her feet also.

"Your so graceful, dad." Namine joked sarcastically as she reached out for a broom and started to sweep up the even bigger mess. He dad helped by clearing the mess on the counter and cabinets completely and laughing a little still.

"Like father, like daughter." He joked back. Namine rolled her eyes and the two continued what they were doing, Namine finished the walls and her dad finished mopping. When they were completely and totally done, Namine turned off the radio and the two each grabbed a brownie and crashed on the couch in front of the T.V. in the living room.

Her father grabbed the remote and rested his feet on the small coffee table in front of the couch as he turned on the T.V, "What do you want to watch?" He asked with a mouth full of brownie. Namine shrugged, and then her dad nodded, turning the channel to cartoons.

Namine laughed at him, "You didn't change at all while I was gone!"

"Always a kid at heart." Her father smiled, and leaned back against the back of the couch, resting his arm on the arm rest and setting the remote at his side.

"Hey dad." Namine leaned over to take off her shoes and then placed them at the side of the couch next to her luggage, and then got comfortable before she decided to tell her dad the news.

Her dad crammed the rest of his brownie in his mouth before taking the time to realize she even said anything, "Yes?" her dad questioned.

"I have-" Namine paused before continuing, she didn't know what her dad's response might be. Maybe she should wait a little longer, it was still too risky.

"Have what?" Her swallowed and made an evil face, snickering to himself and lifting his fingers, treating to tickle it out of her. He still treated her too much like a child.

"I…" Namine took a deep breath and avoided his gaze, "I have a boyfriend." She crossed her arms and huffed; just about ready to defend herself against anything he would say or do about it.

**_"WHAT?" _** Her dad balked. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide with shock. He looked totally dazed and lost when Namine looked back at him and laughed nervously. "Oh…" Uh-oh, Namine now automatically new what his reaction would be. Now she was really in for it. Sometimes she couldn't tell him apart from a woman the way he reacted to these kinds of things.

Her dad grinned evilly and grabbed Namine's arm before she could make a break for it, "That is SO CUTE!" Try as she did, it was simply impossible to escape her fathers grip.

"Dad!" She moaned, "Let me go!"

Her dad old pulled on her arm harder, forcing her back on the couch, "Who is this lucky little young man!" Her father coed, "Huh, huuuuuh?"

Namine sighed miserably and gave up struggling to get free. It was no use, she knew he was going to push and push and push until he got everything out of her. _Everything. _

"Well?" Her father pressed, leaning in towards her anxiously. Just dieing to know all the details.

Namine rolled her eyes, "He's a guy I met at camp, okay? No big deal."

"OH!" He father seemed even more exited, "You should invite him over to dinner tomorrow tonight! Could I meet his parents?"

"He lives with his brother." Namine explained, "And whatever, I'll ask, just let me go!"

"That's all?" Her father eyed his daughter suspiciously.

"Yes." Namine lied. Like hell she was ever going to tell him about-uh- you know what. But it wasn't going to be an easy task getting past her father.

Just before her father could open his mouth to say anything the door bell rang and suddenly caught the attention of both Namine and her Father.

"I'll get it!" Her Father jumped up and dashed to the door from the living room.

"No I will!" Namine hopped over the couch and ran faster than him, pushing him out of the way when she reached the door and opened it before he did.

"Hi Namine!" Kairi smiled brightly and waved from Namine's front porch. Namine sighed in relief; thank god it wasn't Riku, if it was he would never hear the end of her fathers 'Awing' ether.

"Who's this?" Her father leaned over and looked out of the door to see kairi.

"My new friend." Namine answered simply, pushing him out of her way again and slipping on her sandals so she could walk outside and greet Kairi properly.

"Aw…" Her father admired.

"Dad…" Namine groaned, tension building up between the two.

Her dad sighed, and then nodded, shutting the door and leaving back inside the house to continue on watching the T.V.

"What's up?" Kairi asked, continuing to smile brightly as ever with her hands behind her back.

"Not much." Namine said, sitting down with Kairi on the steps of her porch.

"I have something for you!" Kairi laughed to herself, "It's from Riku!"

"Really!" Namine looked back and grabbed the note that Kairi had been handing over that was signed, _To Namine, From Riku. _

She unfolded the note and began reading:

_ Hey, its just me, Riku. My brother wants to meet you during dinner at my house. Call me if you can come. _

Namine sighed a second time. That was the same question she was going to ask him. She folded the note back up and shoved it in her pocket.

"What's the matter?" Kairi leaned over so she could nee Namine's face and frowned.

"It's nothing." Namine shook her head, "How about you show me around town for a bit?"

"I can't…" Kairi looked away for a moment.

"Why?" Namine pouted.

"Because," kairi played with her thumbs, "Sora's parents and my parent's are really good friends, and went off on a trip to Hawaii while we went to camp and won't be back till the end of this week. So, Sora invited me over for dinner also!" Kairi squealed, "Just the two of us!"

"Oh!" Namine clasped her hands together and congratulated her friend, "I hope you have a good time!"

"We will!" Kairi checked her watch and stood up, "But I have to leave to his house soon. He said he'd meet me on the beach in a half an hour."

Namine waved goodbye as Kairi left, "Bye!"

"Bye!" Kairi smiled and also waved good-bye.

Namine watched until her friend was totally out of sight. Then, she sighed deeply and headed back inside, making her way to the dining room where she left her cell phone before she left to camp a month earlier.

She dialed Riku's phone number and stood in the doorway watching her father start to cook a huge meal for dinner tonight as the phone started to ring. She could tell her father was way TOO exited.

"Hello?" Someone picked up the phone an answered.

The voice didn't sound familiar, must've been Riku's brother, "Is Riku home?" She asked.

She could hear a slight snickering in the phone before he replied, "Yeah, just a second, Namine."

Soon later Riku picked up the phone and answered," Hello?"

"Hi Riku!" Namine greeted cheerfully, "How did your brother know my name?"

"I told him about you," Riku explained, "Can you come over for dinner?"

"Uh…" Namine looked at her father with pity as he raced from place to place around the kitchen preparing dinner in high hopes of Riku coming over, "Could I come over tomorrow? My father's a little… _anxious _to meet you. He was hoping that you'd come over to my house for dinner tonight."

"Yeah sure, I'll come. I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind." Riku lied. Namine could hear her brother freaking out in the background yelling, "What?" and, "Why not?"

Namine laughed, "Okay. Come over in…" she looked to her dad for an answer. Her dad literally held up a sign that said 'one hour.' "Come over in an hour."

"Sounds great!" Riku laughed, "See you then."

"Bye." Namine said before she hung up the phone and set it back down on the dinning table.

She palmed her forehead as she watched her dad trip over his own two feet and pots and pans come crashing to the floor. It was going to be a long evening.

Meanwhile… Kairi waited patiently on the beach, gazing out over the ocean as the sun began to set. It was quiet a sight and made her grateful that she lived here with her friends.

"Kairi!" A male voice from behind her yelled.

Kairi looked over her shoulder to see Sora was running at her waving. She waved back and laughed at him as he stopped in front of her and leaned over, panting from all the running.

"Are you ready?" Sora asked as he looked over at her.

"Yeah!" Kairi nodded, and then the two headed over to Sora's house. She was exited to see what Sora planned on cooking for her, or if he could even cook at all. This was going to be fun.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: **So how was the first chapter? I hope you enjoyed it:D I really enjoyed writing it. I was suddenly stricken with inspiration when the "don't worry, be happy." Song started to play on my computer's music list.

Do you ever feel like just being a dork sometimes? That's what my friends and I do all the time! Like, at school today, we took a camera and walked back to school and teased the football players as they walked back inside the school to the locker rooms.

So Anyways, I hope your weekend turns out awesomely!

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW! **All my current reviewers already know that well, because if I don't get at least 8 reviews I don't update. Why? Because if you don't review I REFUSE to update! But don't worry; I normally get 8 reviews quickly.

**REVIEW! **

Like the wind! –Cracker-jacks000 


	2. Spaghetti

**A/N: **WHOO! Chapter 2! This chapter is dedicated to the people who reviewed the last chapter:D you all get cake!

Okay, as most of my reviewers from the first story know, I have this thing called the top reviewer of the chapter, and this is what it is: After I update, before I update again I pick 3 of my favorite reviews from the last chapter and post the names of the people who wrote those reviews in the next chapter.

And before you review this chapter, I was thinking about doing something called a 'next chapter preview.' Just give me your opinion!

On to chapter 2! Have fun:D

**CHAPTER 2 **

**_"Kairi!" A male voice from behind her yelled. _**

**_Kairi looked over her shoulder to see Sora was running at her waving. She waved back and laughed at him as he stopped in front of her and leaned over, panting from all the running. _**

**_"Are you ready?" Sora asked as he looked over at her. _**

**_"Yeah!" Kairi nodded, and then the two headed over to Sora's house. She was exited to see what Sora planned on cooking for her, or if he could even cook at all. This was going to be fun. _**

"What're you making for us?" Kairi questioned as they reached his home.

Sora stopped at the door for a moment and pondered,"I…" Sora paused to laugh, "I haven't thought about that yet!"

Kairi laughed too. Sora wasn't really the kind of person that would plan ahead; none the less think about what he was actually doing. He loved to rush into things.

Sora slowly opened the door to his house, holding out a hand for Kairi and leading her inside. Kairi gratefully took his offer and the two headed inside and then into the dining room which was, much like Namine's, next to the kitchen.

"Wait here." Sora pulled out a chair for her and after she sat down he dashed off into the kitchen, "Just give me some time to cook something." He said before leaving Kairi alone at the table in the dining room.

Kairi nodded, and then watched him leave and disappear into the next room. She sighed and rested her folded arms on the table and waited patiently. She took the time to think about how the night might turn out. Maybe it would start raining again and she'd be stuck here the whole night, with just Sora at her side. That sounded great.

She gazed out the huge window to the left and out over the ocean view. It was so calm and peaceful; she doubted it would rain anytime soon. The sun had already started to set in the horizon and she watched it lower for 30 minutes as she waited for Sora to come back.

But even the beautiful Destiny Islands famous sun set couldn't keep her from thinking about what was taking him so damn long. She shifted her gaze over to the door that led to the kitchen as she rested her head in the palm of her head, sighing deeply.

After another five minutes it was obvious that he needed help. So, that's what she planned on doing. She slowly lifted herself out of her chair and tip-toed over to the open door and peaked inside to see Sora hadn't even started to cook.

She sighed miserably when she saw that he was still leaned over the side of the counter, starting into a giant cook book blankly with the most confused face kairi had ever seen plastered on his face. He looked completely and hopelessly lost.

"You're not supposed to read the whole cook book." Kairi took the large book away from him, shut it, and stuck it back on top of one of the shelves.

"I couldn't even understand half of it!" Sora complained, throwing his hands up into the air in defeat. It seriously looked like he couldn't take it anymore.

"What did you plan on making." Kairi questioned.

"A surprise!" Sora refused to tell her and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Please?" Kairi pressed on, nudging him.

"No." Sora tried to keep a strait face, but Kairi's puppy eyes were too darn adorable, "Alright." He gave up, "I wanted to make spaghetti. It's supposed to be easy to make, but I don't even know where to start!"

Kairi laughed at him, "Mind if I help?"

"Uh-"Sora paused, trying to look casual, "Well, if you really want to."

Kairi grinned, "I'll get the supplies!" She cheered, rushing to the cabinets and grabbing noodles, a pan, spaghetti sauce, exedra. She rushed back with it all in her arms as Sora started, watching her set it all up and start to boil the water.

"Wow, Kairi." Sora admired, walking up to her side as she poured the noodles into the boiling water, "You're an expert at this stuff!"

"Comes with the job of being a girl." Kairi told while switching to the other side of the oven and making the spaghetti sauce.

"I'm so glad I'm a guy." Sora sighed gratefully, "Being a girl sound like a lot of hard work!"

"Lazy bum!" Kairi smirked at him.

"Silly girl!" Sora smirked back.

"Do me a favor and grab two plates," Kairi started, returning back to the oven duties, "And bring them here."

Sora nodded, and then did what she said, bringing two plates to Kairi.

"What do I do now?" Sora questioned, resting his hand behind his head as he leaned on the wall next to the oven. Kairi had pretty much taken over. So much for trying to be romantic.

"You go sit." Kairi instructed.

"I was supposed to be the chef." Sora ignored her instructions and bumped her out of the way, grabbing her tools and stirring the noodles himself.

Kairi put her hands on her hips and huffed, "**_Sora_**!"

"You go sit." He commanded.

"But-"

"Now." Sora interrupted her, "I'm pretty sure I can do it myself."

Kairi folded her arms and stomped back out of the room. Sora grinned at himself. Ah. The power of a Man.

Kairi grumpily took back her chair at sat down again, frowning as she gazed of at the sun set for a second time. Sora was just so stubborn! But she still loved him after all; maybe it was worth it giving him the chance to do things himself. He seemed completely sure he could do it.

But her hopes of him being able to cook on his own soon faded after ten minutes of waiting. It doesn't take that long to cook a simple meal like spaghetti! Kairi lifted herself out of her chair again and crept over to the kitchen, but was stopped by Sora who suddenly jumped out of the kitchen and into the dinning room.

"Done!" He cheered, and then ran back into the kitchen and grabbed two plates of well-made spaghetti and walking them over to the table, setting one on in front of Kairi's chair and him across the table from her spot as Kairi started.

"How did you-?"

"I told you I'd do it!" Sora interrupted her, giving her the 'I-told-you-so' face.

Kairi laughed to herself a little, giving up completely before the argument even started.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked as he sat down, and she sat across from him.

"I just-" Kairi laughed in between words, "It's nothing."

Sora made a face and then started stuffing his face full of spaghetti. Kairi followed, but not as sloppily, and soon the two were finished.

"That was…" Kairi paused, staring at her now empty plate.

"Yeah?" Sora waited with excitement to hear her say how much she loved it.

Kairi grinned evilly, "That was 'okay'."

"What?" Sora balked.

Kairi leaned over the table and kissed him lightly on the lips and pulled away as Sora started in amazement, "I loved it."

Sora swallowed, "Th-thanks."

Silence then filled the room as the couple sat there, staring for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. That is, until Sora broke the silence.

"How about we go, um, watch some T.V?"

"Sounds great!" kairi smiled sweetly, and walked out of the room and into the living room as Sora led the way.

They reached the living room and Sora hopped over the couch and clicked the remote, turning the T.V. on as Kairi took a seat next to him.

"What's on?" Kairi asked as Sora flipped from channel to channel.

"Uh-" Sora flipped through a few more channels before he started to list, "Cartoon, more cartoons, the news, talk shows, game shows, celebrity gossip…" Sora went on and on, until Kairi stopped him before he could finish by grabbing the remote and switching the channel herself.

"How about this?" Kairi asked as she flipped to a channel with a movie on it.

"Yeah!" Sora rested his feet on the coffee table in front of them, "I haven't seen this movie in forever!"

"It's only been a year." Kairi set the remote down and leaned back in the couch, "You, me, and Riku saw it in theaters, remember?"

"Oh." Sora laughed at himself, grinning his same old cheesy smile.

The movie went on as the two quit talking and watched. All the lights were off so the only light in the room was the light from the T.V.

Kairi sighed as she felt her eyes get heavy. She was getting tired and doubted she was going to make it through the whole movie, which was why she fell over onto Soras side and buried her face in his shoulder. Sora had been taken back a bit at first, but smiled warmly and warped his arm around her shoulder as she drifted off into sleep.

Looks like she'd be staying at his house for the night after all.

(**A/N: **I didn't know what movie to put in, pick one yourself. XD be 'creative')

Namine sat patiently on the couch in the living room as she watched the clock closely, waiting for it to turn 8 p.m. She listened nervously as her father started to set up the food on the table, literally making it all look like a big feast of buffet.

Then, all of a sudden, the door bell rang and Namine literally jumped out of her seat and rushed to the door as fast as she could. She threw the door open and greeted Riku, who looked pretty casual waiting there at the door.

But it couldn't fool Namine; she saw the hint of worry in his eyes. He wasn't exactly looking forward to this ether.

"Hey Namine." He waved, and then stepped inside when Namine opened the door completely.

"Hey." Namine sighed.

"Who is it?" The two heard Namine's father sing from the dining room.

Namine sighed again, "Ready?" She questioned.

Riku swallowed, and the two proceeded to the living room, and on into the dining room, where Namine's father was waiting patiently.

Her father gasped at the sight of the two and squealed, "How adorable!"

"Dad." Namine hissed, shutting her dad up. He dad winked at her as if to say 'right, right.'

"So…" Her father started, eyeing Riku as he took a seat next to Namine and across from him.

Riku stared at Namine's girly father nervously as he inspected every inch of his face.

"You died your hair silver?" Her father questioned, staring at the hair that fell to Riku's shoulders.

"No…" Riku started, "It's natural."

"Oh, wow!" He stared in awe.

Riku tried to laugh, "I-It's no big deal."

Namine rolled her eyes, "Dad!" She reminded.

Her dad nodded, and they all began eating. Everything stayed painfully quiet the rest of the time Riku was there.

When they were totally finished, Namine's father stood up from his seat and walked around the table and over to Riku, who gazed blanking as he hovered over him.

"Nice to meet you!" Her father finally greeted, lifting Riku out of his chair for him and shacking his hand.

"Uh-" Riku was taken back, "Nice to meet you too." Riku looked over his shoulder at Namine, who was banging her head against the table.

"Well," Riku started, "I'd better go now. Thanks for inviting me."

"I'll go with you!" Namine offered, "We could go on a walk for a while."

"Her father eyed the two adorably, "Go on you two!"

Namine rolled her eyes and she left with Riku at her side, thanking the dear lord they made it out alive.

"That was weird." Riku said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, my dads… weird." Namine sighed deeply.

"You'll like my brother." Riku changed the subject a little, "He's cool."

Namine smiled faintly, "Mind showing me around for a while?"

"No, not at all!" Riku grabbed her hand and the two walked off into town.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: **Hiya! It's not quite as long as the first chapter but I wanted to end it here. The next chapter will most likely be the last before my time leap. I wont be going ahead too much, just till 3 weeks left before school. I've got something fun planned:D I hope you enjoy it!

REVIEW! You know I'd love you forever if you did:D 8 reviews gets ya'll a fast update!

Okay, here we go with the top reviewers!

The top reviewer of chapter 1 was: **Cheifbekah1304! **_I'm glad you like it!_

2nd place: **Oath of Oblivion! **_I'm glad you like it too!_

3rd place:**mOOnlite-dUSk! **_Yay! I'm glad you like it!_

And that's a wrap! LISTEN TO THIS! The top reviewers for the next chapter will be the reviewers with the longest review. Show me what your made of! ;)

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW! **

Cake is yummy:D –cracker-jacks000 


	3. Sun Set

**Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, my mom and dad pulled a surprise trip to Seattle again. TT sorry again!**

**A/N: **WHOO! The more reviews the happier with you all I am! And faster updates! Anywho, YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT! The guy I like hugged me…not one, BUT 3 times today! WHOO!

Hmm…. Just in case any of you are interested, my friend posted her own story with the real Kim, her, AND ME in it! It's pretty funny if you wanna go check it out. +on my favorites!

_**I PROMISE YOU RIKU AND NAMINE FLUFF THIS CHAPTER! YAY!**_

p.s. try listening to a sweet, slow song while reading. Something to really set a mood:D

**CHAPTER 3!**

_XD YAYS!_

"_**Sorry, my dads… weird." Namine sighed deeply. **_

"_**You'll like my brother." Riku changed the subject a little, "He's cool." **_

_**Namine smiled faintly, "Mind showing me around for a while?" **_

"_**No, not at all!" Riku grabbed her hand and the two walked off into town. **_

"Is that my new school?" Namine questioned, pointing to a large, extremely nice and well built building with a large football field and fountains and such.

"Yeah." Riku sighed, "Not a place I'm looking forward to."

"But it's so nice!" Namine admired as they walked down the road and past her new school.

"It'll hell, trust me." Riku sighed even deeper, "I should know."

"Your just lazy is all." Namine huffed, "I'm sure all the homework _JUST **KILLS** YOU!_ " 

"Kim went to that school with me." Riku stated, turning Namine's grumpy mood into an OH-CRAP mood.

Riku laughed at her, "She moved, don't worry."

Namine sighed in relief and held her chest as if to say, "thank god!"

"Um…" Riku started, trying to figure out a way to change the subject, "Here. I want to show you something."

"Wha-?" Before Namine had the chance to finish her sentence he held her hand tight and ran of in the opposite direction, dragging Namine along with him. He kept on running with her at his side until he reached the top of a tall hill.

Here, he stood on the very edge, pulling Namine up next to him as he gazed out over the view of the ocean and the sun set in the horizon.

Namine stared in awe at the mixtures of blue, pink, and orange in the sky, "Wow…"

"It's great, isn't it?" Riku smiled warmly at her.

"I can't believe I actually live here…" Namine continued to stare, "It's beautiful."

Riku sat down, letting his feet hand over the edge. When Namine looked down at him he patted the ground next to him and she sat down too.

"So what do you want to do first?" Riku asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Namine asked, shifting her gaze from the sun set to Riku.

"What's the first thing you want to do on Destiny Island?" Riku asked again.

Namine thought for a moment, and then answered, "Watch the sun set."

Riku laughed, "Okay."

Then, everything got totally silent as the couple gazed over the glossy waters and watched the sun set peacefully in the sky. Namine sighed gratefully to herself as time went on, she was so beyond lucky to be here with him. There was nothing more she could ask for at the time. Being here, with him, was enough.

Just before the sun was completely set, leaving the sky to darken, Riku opened his mouth to speak, "Hey, Namine…"

"Hm?" Namine faced him as his grip around her shoulders tightened.

He smiled sweetly at her, "I'm glad you're here."

Namine grinned, "Me too."

He couldn't take it anymore, he had to kiss her. He leaned in towards her and tenderly pressed his lips against hers.

Namine smiled against his mouth, and continued on with him as he tilted his head and moved his lips sweetly with hers. He tightened his grip around his shoulders and lifted his free hand to rest on the side of her face, and caressed her check lovingly as Namines arms wrapped themselves around his neck, only to deepen the kiss. He moved his lips just a little bit faster as Namine leaned in closer to him, until she was being pressed against his chest as his strong arms continued their hold around her. God, how she loved this. The hand that Riku had rested on her cheek proceeded up and his fingers ran through her smooth blonde hair as Namine sighed peacefully against his lips.

Pulling away slightly before she was ready, Riku took a deep breath of needed air as the two took a short break. Their foreheads were touching and their lips were still dangerously close as they stared lovingly into each others eyes.

Riku leaned in, about to kiss his angel again but was stopped by her faint voice.

"Riku…" Namine whispered as he stopped just before their lips met again.

"Yes?" Riku asked, his lips just barely brushing over hers as he talked.

"Don't you ever leave me." Namine tightened her arms hold around his neck, talking in a faint voice.

"Namine…" A smile slowly spread on his face as he slowly leaned in again, closing his eyes leisurely, "I wouldn't ever."

"Riku…?" Namine stopped him again, a split second before their lips touched for a second time.

"Hm?" Riku hummed, not bothering to open his eyes. His fingers sweetly played with the strands of her hair as he waited for her to speak.

"I love you." Namine let him know for the second time. And she meant every word. She couldn't picture any of this any other way.

Riku laughed a little as his lips went just about as close as they could get before they locked with Namines lips. If only she knew how much he loved her, "I love you too."

Riku finally closed the space between their mouths for a second time after he told her this. Namine nearly fell onto him, just for a second her limbs went numb. Riku's fingers untangled from her hair and wrapped around her tightly to keep her from taking him down with her. He held her closer to him than what was possible as his lips began to move sweetly again with hers. Could this get any more perfect? Kissing next to the sun set with the girl he adored more than anything? He was sure she was feeling the same.

Namine tilted her head even further so her face fit perfectly against his as the kiss continued. Why was he so good at this? Namine swore she'd never felt more breath taken in her whole life. She felt as though she could literally fly. His lips increased speed again, deepening the kiss all that much more. Namine's chest pressed against his as she tightened her hold around his neck. This was thrilling; she could feel his heart racing, just as hers was.

And then, he pulled away again. But his lips were still brushing over hers as he talked.

"And…" He started again, taking his sweet time, "I'm never going to let you go, ether."

"Promise?" Namine lifted both her arms so her fingers were now running through his silver locks.

Riku lifted his head and kissed her on her forehead, smiling against her smooth skin, "Promise."

Namine hugged him tightly, never planning on letting go. No force could possibly rip her from him, for she must've been the most hopelessly-in-love person there ever was and ever will be.

That kiss probably wasn't their most passionate, but defiantly their most meaningful.

**+…+…+…+**

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**A/N: **I just love fluff!

Sorry that the chapter wasn't as long as the others, but I really wanted to end it there. The next chapter is where Namine meets Riku's brother. I'll have a bit of fun with that. And then, I promise, The others will show up in chapter 5. I'm planning something special for them all before they head off to school. You'll love it!

And I'll admit it, Kim is coming back! She'll be the first really dramatic problem. And I'm adding Axel and Reno to the story along with a few of my friends. Call my friends original characters if you wish.

And yes! Roxas (KINDA) gets a girl in this story! It's cute, I'll promise you that, but you may be a little _shocked. _

Okay! The awards!

Top reviewer of chapter 2 was: **mOOnlite-dUSk!! **Wow! Thanks for the awsome review!! I hope you have a great week!

2nd place: **Oath of oblivion 0!!!! **Thanks for the review! and sorry it took so long to post another chapter! Surprise trips are soooo beond anoying.

3rd place: **kenshinroks and Animelovers! **XD Your reviews were the same length! Thanks for the awsome comments and I'm so glad you both liked the chapter! I enjoyed writing!

Alright, it's like midnight where I live and I'm uber tired. -.- I'll see you in the next chapter. Adios!

Muffins EXPLODE! –Cracker-jacks000


	4. Not tonight

**A/N: **I loved writing the last chapter so much! I was listening to all these romantic songs like, "I will love you" and such. Glad you all liked it too!

This should be the last chapter before my time leap. I promise, next chapter you'll see the others like Roxas. I'm so glad that you all can't wait for him to be caught up in a little romance/drama/confusion. He gets very confused with his feelings.

I hope you like this chapter! Namine meets Riku's brother and…well, you'll see.

Don't forget to **review** and enjoy:D

**  
_+ I will now start replying to every review in the starting of each chapter! Read if you want to. _**

**ChefBakah1304… **_Yay! I'm so happy you liked the fluff! This should be an amusing chapter. I hope you like it too! Really? What song did you listen to? _

**Volume-5… **_Heh heh, sorry I've been gone all week. Seattle SUCKS! Yep, Roxas and a girl! Heh heh, you're still the only one who knows who. (**DUN DUN DUN**!)_

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Yeah! Go you! I'm so very happy you liked the fluff! I loved writing it! Now that cha' mention it, Axel and reno DO seem like brothers. Maybe they should be in my story… I haven't thought of their role in the story yet so, maybe:D And I'll Add SoraxKairi fluff, PROMISE! Not this chapter though. Sorry about your poor fingers, I hope you feel better._

**Kenshinroks2111… **_I'm one of your favorite authors!! Really:D thanks! Eek! Sorry about the homework and tests. Yay! #rd place!_

**Katchi… **_I what?_

**Animeloverz… **_Lol, that was funny! -.- poor Namine. YAY! I'm glad you liked the fluff! Everyone else seemed to also! WHOOT!_

**HollisterKitten… **_I'm happy you liked the fluff! Sorry if it was a little over romantic. I tried really hard, too hard I guess. 'scratches back of her head' I tent to be over dramatic, A LOT! But I'm happy you liked the chapter! Thanks for Reviewing!_

**PyroGackt… **_Thanks for the review! I had lots of fun writing this chapter!_

**Khprincess31… **_Yes, I LOVED writing chapter 1! It's probably still my favorite chapter that I've written so far. _

**CHAPTER 4**

"_**And…" He started again, taking his sweet time, "I'm never going to let you go, ether." **_

__

"_**Promise?" Namine lifted both her arms so her fingers were now running through his silver locks. **_

_**Riku lifted his head and kissed her on her forehead, smiling against her smooth skin, "Promise."**_

_**Namine hugged him tightly, never planning on letting go. No force could possibly rip her from him, for she must've been the most hopelessly-in-love person there ever was and ever will be. **_

_**That kiss probably wasn't their most passionate, but defiantly their most meaningful. **_

Namine sat up in her bed and yawned, stretching her arms into the air and then rubbing her eyes. It felt so great to be able to sleep in her own bed again.

She lifted herself out of bed, and onto the cold wooden floor. She lazily dragged herself across the room and dressed herself in the usual, a light colored shirt and some form of shorts.

As she finished brushing her hair and set the brush down by her bed, she could hear her father stampeding up the stairs and to her room.

Namine sighed and started to could, "5…4…3…2…"

"I MADE PANCAKES!" Her father cheered as he threw open the door and grinned widely.

Namine rolled her eyes, "Do you ever knock?"

"Come on!" Her father exclaimed as he grabbed her wrist and flew down the stars with her, almost literally.

"**_Dad!" _**Namine tried her hardest to keep up with him, but ended up just getting dragged down the stars and into the dining room.

"Sit!" Her dad instructed, pointing to and empty chair in front of a large stack of pan cakes.

Namine stuck her tongue out at him, "What if I'm not hungry?"

Her father crossed his arms and huffed, "I worked all morning on this! EAT!"

Namine rolled her eyes and sat down, and then her father sat down across from her.

"So…" Her father started, taking a big bite out of his pan cakes, "What did you and Riku do last night?"

Namine ignored him and stubbornly stuffed her face with pan cakes.

"Namine…" Her dad scowled, "It this any way to treat your beloved father?"

"These pancakes taste like-"

"Heh heh…" Her dad interrupted, "There wasn't any pancake mix left so…"

Namine looked up from her plate and at her dad with wide eyes. _Oh god… _she thought.

"So I used-"

"I don't even want to know." Namine spit out the food and took a deep breath, "Just… Don't tell me…"

"That would probably be a good idea." Her dad scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. She'd kill him if she knew he used… Whatever it was he used to make the pancakes instead. Seriously, he'd be DEAD!

"I'll be in my room." Namine said before she washed her hands and ran up the stairs and back to her bed room.

Her dad shook his head and sighed. She just wasn't the little 8 year-old he knew any more. Only God knows what she does when he's not around anymore. Actually, he didn't really wanna know.

The rest of the afternoon pasted by quickly as Namine patiently waited in her room for Riku to ring the door bell and take her to meet his brother. As soon as it was 7:00 p.m, an hour before Riku said he'd show up, she decided to get 'freshened up' before she was supposed to leave.

She danced around her room, going from place to place getting ready. First, she went to her bathroom and took a short shower, dried her hair, brushed her hair and curled it a little with the curling iron, and did her make up. Second, she rummaged through her dresser looking for the _perfect _light dress, and found a light violet summer dress that looked great! It had intricate lacing at the top and along the thin straps and draped just over her knees, and seemed to fit just right on her fragile body. Third, she chose a pair of pretty shoes. Last, she made sure her make-up was perfect and then sat on the couch in the living room, staring at the clock as it neared 8 o'clock.

"Well, you look nice." Her father admired, just coming from the computer room to the left. His job was… Working on the computer. It was enough to pay off the house, I'll say that much, "Where're you headed, darlen?"

"Riku's house for dinner." Namine said as she continued to stare across the room at the clock. _Damn… _she thought, _still 7:52p.m…. _

Her father giggled to himself, "Riku huh?"

"Don't say _anything." _Namine growled.

Her father shook his head, "Mooooooooooooody!"

Namine rolled her eyes. Here dad was defiantly the kid who never grew up. No wonder they didn't want him at his previous job anymore.

_**Ring Ring RING**_

"Yes!" Namine literally flew off the couch and pushed her dad out of the way as she rushed to the front door, "He's early!"

Here dad jumped as he was being shoved out of his beloved daughters way, "Jeez…" he muttered to himself, rubbing his side. Heh… Maybe he needed a new wife. His daughter obviously didn't want him anymore. He sighed and left back to his desk in the computer room and slipped on his glasses, getting to work on a project.

Namine's front door flew open when Namine got a hold of, and there Riku was.

When he saw Namine, his mouth almost dropped to the ground and his eyes grew 3 sizes.

"What?" Namine asked, her hand now resting on her hip.

"Whoa…" Namine backed up a little and examined his girlfriend up and down, "You look… gorgeous."

Namine Smiled faintly and turned her head the other way for a quick, slightly hiding the light shade of pink on her cheeks.

Riku smiled as Namine opened the screen door, shutting the door behind her, and stepping outside.

"Where'd you get that dress? It looks great on you." Riku asked, examining the dress fully, admiring the lacing and it's details.

"It was my moms dress!" Namine smiled widely, "She gave it to me, claiming it looked better on me then on her."

"My god…" Riku smiled even wider, almost choking on his own words as he exclaimed, "You look…wow…"

Namine laughed at him and clung to his arm, "Shall we?" she asked.

"Uh… Yeah." Riku nodded, "But first." He tilted his head and leaned in to her face, but was stopped by two smooth, clean fingers.

He opened his eyes suddenly to a very amused Namine. She laughed at it like it was some big joke.

"What?" He questioned.

"I'm not going to kiss you yet." Namine squealed, "You'll have to wait till the end of the night!"

Riku made a face and stood up strait again, stuffing his hands in his pockets and Namine continued to cling to his arm and they headed next door to Riku's home.

Riku opened the door and lead Namine to a dining room that looked almost exactly like hers. He pulled out a chair from under the table and sat her down, and smiled as he sat next to her.

"You're home?" A voice from the next room over, the kitchen, shouted.

"Yep!" Riku shouted back and Namine stared off at the picture coated walls. For every inch of wall there was another picture of ether Riku's friends, or some people she didn't know.

"Just in time!" The voice continued as it got louder, approaching the room, "Dinners done and on its way!"

Namine snapped back into reality when Riku grabbed her hand and smiled warmly at her, and then over his shoulder as a tall figure entered the room.

"Waz up?" He greeted guyishly, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. He wasn't dressed very formal, and looked very much like Riku normally did. He was wearing a long shirt that said Tool across it, and a pair of casual jeans. His hair was about half as long as Riku's was, but still long, and tied behind his head.

"Uh…" Namine looked at the two boys casual every-day clothing and then looked down at herself, "Maybe I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay." Riku whispered, "You look great." He assured.

Namine nodded slowly and looked away from his brother and at the table as his brother set food on the table.

"My names Kyle." He greeted, "And you're Namine?"

Namine nodded and kept quite.

"Riku told me all about you." He snickered evilly as Riku eyed him, shaking his head as if to say, 'no! Don't tell her anything I said!'

"Seems you're quite the couple." His brother continued as he took a seat after serving everyone, "Riku gave me an earful."

"Is that so…?" Namine turned her head to Riku and made a suspicious face. Riku laughed awkwardly and faintly to himself.

"Riku even told me about-"

"SHUT-UP!" Riku stood up and pounded the table, cutting his brother off and getting both of their full attention.

"Oh no…" Namine gasped, covering her mouth, "You didn't… Did you?"

Riku laughed very awkwardly and backed away quite a bit, "Now… Don't go and do anything rash…"

"_**YOU DID!?**" _Namine quickly got out of her seat and eyed Riku as he backed up against the wall as she slowly approached him. Riku's brother was having a field day as Namine started to yell. He was **_very_** amused.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Namine roared as she threw herself at him and the two went tumbling to the ground with a thud. Namine sat on top of him as she pulled at his silver locks and slapped him in the back of the head several times. Riku's brother was laughing so hard he lost his seat, and was rolling around on the floor laughing his head off.

"N-Namine!" Riku pleaded for mercy, trying to push his furious and outraged girlfriend off of him, "Just let me explain!"

"Then explain!" Namine stopped pulling as his hair and folded her arms, waiting patiently for a reply, but still refusing to get off of him; just in case he decided top make a quick run-for-it.

"Well…heh heh… you see…" Riku was at lose for words. He bit his lip and attempted again to push her off, but she held on tight. She was holding on so tight, it kinda hurt.

"_Well?" _Namine barked, a scowl plastered on her face, "I'm WAITING!"

Riku's brother finally stopped laughing to gain balance, and helped Riku push the furious girl off, and he held her up next him, and then set her on the ground, "Look…" His brother was still chuckling to himself a little, "It's not entirely his fault. I kinda… pushed it out of him."

"Then I should kill you!" Namine looked at him suddenly with a fierce expression and he flinched, pulling back a bit.

"No, no…" He shook his head, "How about we just sit down and eat."

"That should great just about now." Riku said, but still breathing heavily as he lifted himself to the ground.

Namine folded her arms again, "I'm not hungry!"

"Aw… Namine…" Riku walked up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

Namine growled at him, and Riku's brother took this chance to run to the next room.

"Don't think I'm not mad at you." Namine huffed, pushing him away.

"I think we'll both feel better if you give me that kiss already." Riku winked.

Namine looked as though the comment made her twice as angry with him, "No kiss for you tonight!"

"Namine!" Riku whined, his hands being thrown in the hair.

"Make that a week." Namine smirked.

"_What!?" _Riku balked.

"2 weeks, going once, going twice…"

"Fine!" Riku gave up, sighing in defeat. Namine was truly a challenge.

It would be a little hard keeping up with her.

**+To Be Continued!+**

**A/N: **I hope you liked the chapter as much as I liked writing it! I had a little fun with this one. In the next chapter I shall add Roxas and the others, and then… You'll see.

GACK! The guy I like called me today! XD The conversation was a little weird, but I loved it! Yay!

On to the awards!

**First place of chapter 3 is… Animeloverz! **_XD That was HILARIOUS! Hee hee, poor Namine! I love getting reviews from you! You totally made my day!_

**2nd place… mOOnlite-dUSk! **_Yay! I'm happy you liked the chapter! I LOVED writing it! I hope you feel better soon! Sorry about your fingers!_

**3rd place… Volume-5! **_I'm SO sorry I've been gone lately! But thanks for the review! I hope your weekend turns out AWSOME!_

Okay, that's enough until the next chapter.

P.s. 0.0 I should make my authors notes a little more organized! Stuffs all over the place!

HE CALLED ME! –Cracker-Jacks000.


	5. Viva las Vegas BABY!

**A/N: **THANK YOU all the people that reviewed the last 4 chapters! YOU ALL ROCK! I hope you all had a great weekend:D I did! I saw an old friend, watched several movies and went shopping. I also got into another anime, called **Negima**. :D It's pretty good.

Anyways, like I promised, everyone comes back in this chapter. But Reno and Axel aren't in until later.

And now, I'll reply to all of you!

**Kenshinroks2111… **_I'm glad you thought that chapter was funny! So happy you enjoyed it! Ha ha… your mom is just like m y dad. __Have a great week!_

**Chefbakah1304… **_Thanks so much! XD I thought the last chapter was funny too. I wasn't planning on doing that seine in the story at first, but did anyways, for a few extra laughs. XD I know you'll like this chapter! By the way, nice song! ;)_

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Yes! He called me:D Yay! Yesh, I'm so glad you're alright now. Heh heh, I got the, "tell Riku's Brother" from Kim and Breanna (my friends) and then I wasn't planning on putting that part in but a reviewer was like do it! So I did. Glad you enjoyed!_

**Volume-5… **_I'm so happy I made your day better! Hee hee, don't tell anyone about who Roxas 'likes' coughs 'hates.' And 'dates.' Yes, the story IS mainly about Riku and Namine, but I have fun adding others too. LIKE ROXAS! _

**Oath Of Oblivion 0… **_It's okay you didn't review the last chapter :D I forgive you. Good for you! I'm glad the girl you like is going out with you! If there's one thing we girls really love it's flirting! So do it A LOT!_

**Hotaru89… **_Hee hee, glad you like the story! Thanks for the awesome review!_

**Alpha male… **_-.- yesh, poor Riku…_

**Sayshello3… **_THANK YOU SO MUCH! You just made my entire week whith that comment! Heartwarming and hilarious! XD I feel so special!_

**Animeloverz… **_XD That was FUNNY! XD And yes, we do have a little romance outside the story. ;) glad your boyfriend and you are still happy!_

**HollisterKitten…** _I LOVE making Namine out of character! It's so fun! Glad you liked the chapter!_

**Riku-Heartilly…** _It's okay that you don't review much, at least you do:D happy you liked the chapter!_

**Katchi… **_That's okay about the last chapter. I thought you might have gotten cut off or something. I'm glad you like your new game!_

**Khprincess31… **_I'm glad the guy called me too! I hope you like this chapter! Have a great week!_

YAY! I didn't think my reviews would go up THAT fast! Thanks you all rock!

p.s. I caught the guy I like staring at me today! XD

**CHAPTER 5**

"_**Make that a week." Namine smirked. **_

"_**What!?" Riku balked. **_

"_**2 weeks, going once, going twice…" **_

"_**Fine!" Riku gave up, sighing in defeat. Namine was truly a challenge. **_

_**It would be a little hard keeping up with her. **_

A few weeks had passed by since then, and before any of them knew it, there was just one week left before school started. In truth, that summer was probably the laziest yet. Other then going to camp, everyone pretty much did nothing. Noda. Zilch. Roxas, pence, Hayner, and Olette stayed in twighlight town most of the time, randomly visiting from time to time, and Riku, Sora, Kairi, Namine, and the others didn't visit twighlight town once. All in all, everyone was just too busy doing _nothing _to do _anything. _They were going to regret not spending their time sucking up the most of summer as they could when school came around again. _They'd be sorry. _

**Over in twighlight town….**

"Huuuuuh….." Roxas leaned back in the dirty old couch that sat in his every-day hangout; the usual spot. It was 1 in the afternoon and he was bored as hell. Everyone else (Hayner, Pence, and Olette) we doing the same thing; lounging around the room and staring at the ceiling blankly.

Roxas folded his arms behind his head and sighed again. This new daily routine wasn't what he planned summer to be. Honestly, he'd rather spend the day bothering Cid then sitting here and doing nothing.

Pence held his watch in front of his face and grunted at the time, "Is it _still_ noon? I feel like it's been 12 hours!"

"Shut-up…" Hayner yawned, "It's not like we have anything to do anyways."

Olette rested her head in the palms of her hands, "I'd rather be in school right now. At least I'd be doing something."

"Do you think Sora and the others are doing anything?" Hayner tilted his head, shifting his gaze to Roxas.

"Doubt it…" Roxas moaned.

"We should go see them, maybe we can think of something." Olette tried to brighten the bunch up, but only got death glares.

"Are you kidding?" Roxas leaned back in the couch even deeper, "I don't even feel like getting up. There's no way I'm riding the train all the way down to Destiny Islands just to say 'hi' okay?"

"Lazy bum…" Olette huffed, folding her arms and standing up, "Well, join me if you want which you probably won't, but I'm going to find something to do. Unlike you lazy boys, I'm spending my last week of summer having fun."

"Wh-Wha…?" Hayner caught her attention. He looked **mortified**, "_Last Week of summer_?"

"Did I stutter?" Olette scowled.

All the guys exchanged looks, looking just as horrified by the meaning or 'The last week till school'.

"Oh man…" Roxas slapped his forehead, "What happened to us!? We really need to think of one last fun thing to do before summers over."

"Like what?" Pence eyed him, "We're broke!"

"As always…" Hayner leaned against the wall again, rolling his eyes.

"My dad's not broke…" Olette told, "I could ask for money."

"Aw, Olette…" Hayner gave her a guilty look, showing only half of his face and rubbing the back of his head while sighing, "I couldn't take you money."

"Uh…" Roxas stared stupidly at him, "_Yes_ you could. And you _will_."

The two boys shot death glares at each other.

"Oh brother…" Olette shook her head miserably.

"Seriously Olette, I'm not taking your money, even if it means spending our last seven days doing nothing." Hayner suddenly put a serious expression on, ignored Roxas's snarls and grunts, and faced Olette.

"Hayner…" Olette sighed, "Please? I don't mind, honestly."

"No." Hayner said simply, giving her an even more serious face. She was almost scared to his sudden mood change.

"Ahhhh!" Roxas palmed his forehead even harder, the slap echoing through the room several times, and threw his head to the ceiling, "This is HOPELESS!"

"You're hopeless." Pence replied without hesitation. Really, he didn't care if he was pumbled to a pulp at that very moment. Anything was better than listening to that stupid could in front of him whine at each other.

"What did you just say?" Roxas barked.

"**FOR THE LOVE OF GOD**!" Olette screamed, getting everyone's immediate attention, "WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP!?"

"Whoa…" Roxas stared quietly with the others at Olette for a good five minutes.

"Alright…" Olette hid half of her face in her hand, getting so irritated you could see veins, "This is how it's going to be…"

"Olette-" Hayner was cut off.

"You shut-up!" Olette barked again. After taking a deep breath, she started pointing at Pence, "_You_ need to cut that damn attitude of yours." Olettes pointing finger moved to Roxas, "_YOU _need to leave Hayner alone and stop being so stuck-up!" and finally, her pointed finger moved to her boyfriend, Hayner, "And **_YOU _**better be quiet and let me do whatever the hell I wanna do!"

And with that, Olette stormed out of the trashy place yelling words to herself that she shouldn't be yelling.

Everyone stared at the empty spot where Olette just was in shock.

"Damn…" Roxas and pence said at the same time.

"What the hell just happened?" Hayner asked, scratching his noggin, searching his thoughts for an answer.

"Dude!" Roxas started laughing hysterically, "I think we just got **owned**!"

**000**

The next day Roxas were almost afraid to go back to the 'usual spot'. Olette wasn't very happy that last time they saw her. She looked utterly and down right _pissed off_. But they went anyways, just to make sure she was Okay, if she was even there. The way she made it look yesterday, Olette seemed like she was going to barf if she had to look at them again.

The three boys crept down the ally and took a quick peak inside the small room. They say Olette sitting in the corner of the room waiting quietly and patiently, her arms were still crossed and so were her legs.

"Well _finally!" _Olette seemed… Happy to see them! Jeez, girls were weird. One day, they hate you, another, they love you. It was enough to make Roxas a very happy Man that he was single. And Roxas _REALLY _liked girls. (Short A/N: XD Have you ever heard that song called 'girls' by the Beastie Boys? XD Funny…)

"You were waiting for us?" Hayner was the first to even dare to walk in the room, none the less look her in the eye.

"Well DUH!" Olette stood up, grabbed his wrist, and dashed off out of the area with the other boys. It looked like she was headed for the train stop.

"Olette!" Roxas and pence ran after Olette and the seriously confused Hayner, "Where are we going?!" they questioned.

"You'll see!" Olette smiled widely.

They kept going until Olette stopped in front of a train in the train station and let go of Hayner's hand, letting him and the other boys take a minute to breath before she explained.

"So why are we here?" Roxas asked.

"We have to go get the others!" Olette pushed.

"For what?" Pence raised an eye brow and made a face.

"We're all staying at a hotel in Vegas for the last six days!" Olette announced like it was nothing, just another everyday trip.

Everyone's mouths dropped literally to the floor and their eye's popped out of their heads.

"What did you just say?" Hayner asked breathlessly.

Olette walk up to him really close, until her chest was pressing against his and her face was precious inches from him and she began to speak slowly, "V-E-G-A-S… Vegas!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Roxas started to dance in circles. Pence joined him and the two sang happy songs as Hayner and Olette froze in the position they were in.

"You didn't…" Hayner balked in a whisper.

"But I did." Olette smirked.

"I told you not to." Hayner's voice wavered.

"And why should I listen to you?" Olette smirked again.

"Because I'm your boyfriend." The smirk on Olettes face was ripped off.

"You don't want to go?" Olette's eyes got bigger.

"I do, it's just… I already said I didn't want to take your money!" Hayner tried to calm her down.

"You ungrateful little…" Olette pushed him again and folded her arms, "Don't think I'll ever do this again."

"Good." Hayner crossed his arms and copied her.

Olette pointed to the train that was about to take of and yelled, "GET IN!"

"Yes ma'am!" Roxas and Pence happily danced inside. But Hayner didn't move a muscle.

"Now…" Olette scowled.

Hayner only shook his head at her sorrowfully and obeyed. God, why didn't she ever listen to him? Nobody ever did.

They arrived at Destiny Islands shortly after. The whole train ride there was totally quiet, if you didn't count Roxas and Pence's screaming and squealing in the background.

As soon as they arrived, they headed to the beach; where they were sure they'd find them…

**5 minutes later…**

"**_WHAT!?" _**Wakka and Tidus yelled, grabbing their heads and exchanging over exhilarated looks.

"It's a joke, right?" Sora looked at Olette with pleading eyes.

"You guys are too gullible," Riku started, "Of course it's a joke!"

"Yeah…" Namine and Kairi agreed, "Olettes dad isn't _that _rich."

"I'M NOT JOKING!" Olette hollered, taking the expensive tickets out of her pocked and holding them out for everyone to see.

"Oh jeez…" Wakka gasped.

"Holy sh-"

Olette cut the others off, "I told you!"

"Whoa…" Sora sat down on the sand beach, looking quite sea sick, "This isn't really happening, is it?"

"Surprise, huh?" Roxas and Pence were still screaming and dancing with joy.

"You mean…" Sora's eyes grew twice their size, and then some, "This is REAL?"

"Duh." Riku braced himself for an explosion.

"OH MY GOD!" Sora jumped up from the ground and 7 feet into the air, "Viva las Vegas, BABY!"

"Yeah!" Roxas and pence added Sora to their dance.

"Unbelievable." Kairi and Namine made faces, "When do we leave?"

"Now!" Olette smiled brightly.

Hayner only slapped his forehead and looked even more depressed.

"The limo is waiting for us at my house!" Olette told.

"LIMO!?" Kairi and Namine jumped for joy, "I feel rich already!"

**000**

As soon as they all got to Olettes house, which was VERY quickly, they left in the limos and were on their way to Vegas in the **13-hour **drive. It was enough to drive anyone crazy.

While they were in the Limo Olette informed them of where they'd be staying for 5 days, The Golden Nugget (A Really fancy hotel), and what they'd be doing all day long every day, like; going to see a sit com, high class shows, extra fancy restraints for lunch and dinner, (for the girls) shopping, and all the good stuff.

As soon as they arrived in las Vegas they were all staring out of the window at all the bright neon lights lighting the city and the dark sky. They stared in awe at all of the celebrities walking around and performers. But what really made them exited was the hotel they were going to stay in. it was utterly and down-right **GORGEOUS!!!**

All the walls were painted gold and the entrance was huge, the dinning hall was gigantic and totally made you feel like a king, and don't even get them started on the rooms. And they all had a great view or Vegas from the window. Life couldn't get any better at that point.

But late was late, and it was 3 a.m. in the morning! Olette had bought six different rooms. Sora and kairi were sharing a room and so were Riku and Namine. Their rooms were on floor 15. Roxas and pence shared a room and their room was on level 14. Hayner and Olette shared a room and so did Tidus and Selphie, and their rooms were on level 16. Finally, Wakka and Tidus were sharing a room on level 13.

They all unpacked and feel asleep in their new, cozy and warm beds, awaiting the next day.

This may be the best summer they ever had. Well, not for Hayner, but for everyone else.

**+To Be Continued!+**

**A/N: **Okay, it's time for me to get organized. I'm starting to make my end-of-the-chapter authors notes a little more organized, like adding titles so can read what you wanna read and don't have to read the extras. So… HERE WE GO!

**Awards**

Top reviewer of chapter 4 was: **Animeloverz! **

2nd place was: **sayshello3!!!**

3rd place was: tie between **volume-5 and Oath of Oblivion!**

**In future Chapters**

After las Vegas, when school starts, Kim will we back right away! And sorry to say this but, she's not going anywhere for a LONG LONG LONG LONG time! But don't worry, she'll add lots of drama and humor to the story. But you might be a little shocked about what role she ends up taking later after she arrives.

**News about ME!**

Guess-what guess-what guess-WHAT! The guy I like was staring at me today! XD so lovingly. And then, my locker started to work, AND THEN my dad gave me an Ipod mini! But, a really bad downer, remember the real Kim? SHE GOT ARRESTED! NOO! TT Not my best friend! But- she's all better now. Phew- than GOD!

**Later!**

Okay, that's all for now! I'll try my hardest to get chapter 6 up by the weekend but I've been super busy lately. But I promise I'll try my very hardest! If not, harder!

NOT KIM!--- **Cracker-jacks000**


	6. Wake up

**A/N: **YAY! I updated! Thanks for all of your FABULIOUS reviews! I loved them! And Yay! 50+ REVIEWS ALREADY! Heak, I'll be at 200+ again in NO TIME AT ALL! YAY! Here's chapter 6, you deserve it!

**p.s. **_For all the people that asked about Kim, she's GREAT! I saw her not too long ago so it's all good. No problem, and she'll be back at school in January. Until them, I'M GONNA VISIT EVERY WEEK-END! YAYS! _

**CHAPTER 6**

_**But late was late, and it was 3 a.m. in the morning! Olette had bought six different rooms. Sora and kairi were sharing a room and so were Riku and Namine. Their rooms were on floor 15. Roxas and pence shared a room and their room was on level 14. Hayner and Olette shared a room and so did Tidus and Selphie, and their rooms were on level 16. Finally, Wakka and Tidus were sharing a room on level 13. **_

_**They all unpacked and feel asleep in their new, cozy and warm beds, awaiting the next day. **_

_**This may be the best summer they ever had. Well, not for Hayner, but for everyone else. **_

Namine woke up same as usual, even though her alarm clock wasn't there. Nope, instead she woke up to the sound of the phone. And you could guess who would be calling at 8:00 a.m. in the frikin' fracin' morning.

_**RING! (ding ding ding) RING! (ding ding ding) RING!**_

"What the-?" Riku sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'll get it…" Namine lazily got up and grabbed the phone, "_What?" _she asked in a cold tone. She wasn't very happy with how her first day in Las Vegas was starting.

"It's Meeeeeee!" A bright and happy voice said on the other line.

"Dad…" Namine moaned, "It's 8 in the freaking morning."

"So?" Her dad asked, "It's summer!"

"I'm on vacation! Don't call!" Namine mentally slapped her dad.

"Aw…" Her dad sighed, "Fine…"

With that, Namine hung up the phone and turned around again, making her way back to the comfortable bed for some well-needed sleep.

But no- Riku had to stop her too.

"Oh Namine…" He snickered evilly to himself.

"NO!" Namine said before he could even finish.

"Why not?" Riku whined, sitting up and making a face.

"Too… Tired…" Namine rubbed her eyes and yawned, and then crawling back into bed and pulling the blanket over herself as Riku sighed.

Riku laid back down again too and closed his eyes, still sighing deeply as he started to fall back asleep.

"Later…" Namine said before he fell asleep again. Riku laughed and the two fell asleep again. Well, until Olettes wake-up call…

**KNOCK KNOCK!**

Olette banged on the door harshly, "WAKE UP!" She screamed with joy.

Namine turned over in the bed and ignored her, mumbling under the blanket.

"PLEASE!?" Olette pushed.

"I'll get it…" Riku sighed, and then got up and opened the door, "What do you want?" he asked in a harsh tone.

"We're leaving in a few hours!" Olette announced.

"To where?" Riku questioned, raising an eye brow and leaning against the ledge of the door.

"You'll see!" Olette laughed before leaving down the hall again and knocking on her other friends' doors, waking them up also.

Riku closed the door quietly in an effort not to wake Namine up, who was still sleeping soundly in the bed, and he snuck over to her side and got on his knees, peaking over the side of the bed and at Namine. He smiled and watched as she slept peacefully under the thick, warm blanket like an angel.

He leaned in closer to her face and smiled to himself as he whispered in her ear, "Oh Namine…"

"Muhfinuh?" She mumbled into the covers as Riku caressed her cheek with his thumb softly.

"Wake up." He hummed in her ear slowly as Namine started to wake up little by little, opening her eyes slowly and yawning.

"I have to get up why?" Namine questioned as she took a deep breath of air and sighed deeply.

Riku started to play with strands of her hair, "We're leaving somewhere in a few hours."

"Where?" Namine suddenly became interested.

Riku pulled away as Namine sat up in the bed and looked at him quizzically.

"I have no idea." He stood up and helped her out of bed, grabbing her hand tenderly and lifting her up next to him.

Namine sighed deeper and stretched, and then making her way to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, "Give me some time to get ready!" She said before leaving Riku.

About an hour and a half later Namine Riku was already ready to leave and lounged on the small but detailed couch sitting next to the large window with the view of Vegas. The white, see-through curtains from the window draped over the side of the couch.

"Are you ready _yet_?" Riku folded his arms and leaned back in the couch as he started at the closed bathroom door.

"Just a second!" The sound of her voice sang through the door along with a few 'clicks' and the sound of something falling to the bathroom floor.

"Are you okay?" Riku raised an eyes brow and leaned to his side, getting a better look at the door.

"I'm fine." She told, seeming out of breath.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and shifted his gaze to the window, gazing over the cars and floods of people that already covered the streets and sidewalks. He watched a few push their way into a building and another few people hitting on the dancers coming out of another building on the right.

"I'm ready!" Namine said suddenly getting Riku's attention as she opened the door slowly and stepped outside gracefully.

"Wow…" Was all Riku could say as he got up and approached her, examining her looks up-and-down.

Her hair seemed thicker in the light curls that rested over her shoulders. Her make-up was light, but noticeable and she was wearing the same dress she wore weeks before when he met her father. She was wearing small heals with straps that laced around her ankles and glittered.

Namine smiled innocently and put her hands behind her back as Riku stared in awe.

"You look **gorgeous**!" He complemented, taking a stem closer and running a finger or two through her smooth hair.

"Thank you!" Namine blushed lightly.

Riku leaned in closer to her face as she began to close her eyes slowly.

But… Olette was back.

"ARE YOU READY TO LEAVE YET!?" Olette's voice sounded through the door.

Riku sighed and pulled away, "Yes, Olette…"

They opened the door and joined the others in the large, decorative room downstairs before leaving the building and entering the black limo that waited outside.

"I can't wait!" Kairi squealed in excitement as she sat next to Sora.

He smiled at her lovingly and she blushed, tucking some of her red hair behind her ear.

"Oh brother…" Pence and Wakka rolled their eyes.

Hayner sat next to Olette quietly and crossed his arms as she looked away from him, crossing her own arms and sighing. Namine, of course, sat next to Riku who sat next to Tidus and Selphie. Roxas sat next to Pence and Wakka, laughing at them as they pouted.

The limo drove off down the street as soon as everyone was seated.

"Where are we going again?" Roxas asked, pleading Olette for an answer.

"You'll see!" Olette smiled widely.

"Not like I wanna know anyways." Hayner rolled his eyes.

Olette huffed at him and Selphie laughed at the two.

**000**

They soon arrived at a rather large theater-like building about a half an hour later.

They quickly jumped out of the limo, Roxas being the first one out, and they pushed their way through the crowd of people into the clear doors and into the lobby.

"Can I help you?" A tall man in a tux asked as Olette approached him and whispered in his ear as everyone watched as confused as ever.

"I see…" The man eyes the group of teenagers and led them into an even bigger room that had row after row after row of decorated red chairs surrounding a large stage. There were several levels and the man led them to a group of chairs it a table facing the stage, somewhat close to the stage, and sat them down.

"I'm even more excited!" Kairi smiled widely as they watched more and more people poor through the doors and into all of the seats that filled the massively large room.

A while later everyone got quiet as all the lights around them turned off and the only lights still on focused on the stage as everyone watched. A somewhat good-looking man jumped out of the side of the stage and introduced himself and began breaking out outrageous stories and jokes as the show started.

"This is a sit com?" Tidus and Wakka laughed while questioning Olette.

"Yeah!" Olette smiled.

"Sweet!" Roxas laughed harder than anyone at the table, or, in the area for that matter, getting them quite a bit of attention.

"This is great!" Sora and Riku laughed at another one of the mans jokes, having to lean on one another so they wouldn't leave their seats.

A while later, the show was over (much to their dismay) and it was time to leave. Surprisingly, it was _already _about time for dinner, so Olette told the limo driver to take them to a restraint as soon as they entered the limo again.

They soon arrived at a restraint next to a large casino a few blocks down from their hotel. They rushed out of the limo; again, Roxas was first, and into the fancy building 1 by 1.

Olette had already pre-reserved a table for them so they were in their seats and eating in no time at all.

"Thanks again, Olette." Kairi and Namine smiled widely.

"It's no big deal!" Olette grinned.

"Yeah it is…" Hayner mumbled stubbornly under his breath.

Olette ignored him and their conversation went on.

"What're we doing tomorrow?" Namine asked.

"I don't know," Olette shrugged, "I didn't plan anything for tomorrow yet, so, I guess we can just relax!"

"I think I'm gonna show off my skateboarding skills in the hotel tomorrow." Roxas laughed wickedly.

"That wouldn't be a smart idea." Tidus laughed at Roxas.

"Who ever said he was smart?" Wakka laughed along with the other blitz ball player.

Roxas crossed his arms and huffed.

"Knock it off." Riku rolled his eyes as he finished up his meal, along with Sora and Namine. Soon, everyone was finished and they all went back to the hotel for the rest of the night. Wakka and Tidus stayed in the back of the hotel (outside) next to the pool and hot tub practicing blitz ball as Roxas skateboarded up and down the streets. Namine and Riku stayed in one of the lounges alone together and Sora and Kairi had already fallen asleep. Hayner and Olette continued to fight in their own room and Selphie chocolate in the dining hall, very pleased that the cooks were making anything she asked for her.

Vegas was already turning out to be a blast.

**+To Be Continued+**

**A/N: **Sorry that it was a bit choppy. I really wanted to update at least by today so you'd all have something to read over the weekend. :D I hope you liked it! And thanks for al of your reviews! But remember, I still need **8 reviews** before I update anything. So remember to keep on reviewing for quick chapters!

**The Awards!**

Top reviewer of chapter 5 was: **chefbekah1304**

2nd place:**mOOnlite-dUSk**

3rd place:**Animeloverz**

**News about ME!**

 My I-pods battery STINKS! I have to charge it a lot! Also, I had to switch lunches at school so I don't see the guy I like much anymore. And Ethan (not the guy I like) still wont call me! Although, I got to see Kim yesterday so I'm happy:D

**In the next chapter!**

Let's see what happened to the KH gang when they wander the streets of Vegas. They get into a bit of 'trouble.'

Sneak-peak

"**GET BACK HER!" Namine yelled after the man as he ran away into the crowds of people. **

**She soon gave up and sat on the side of the street, holding her face up in her hands as she sighed deeply.**

**Great, just great. Not only was she lost, she had no cash to call the hotel ether. Maybe Vegas wasn't a good idea. **

**In later chapters!**

I've already said this but, Kim is back. Yada yada yada… Also, Roxas gains a new enemy. Or, is it an enemy? XD Roxas get sooo confused!

**Later!**

Have a great weekend! I home you have a great time!

Ignorance is bliss- Cracker-jacks000


	7. Lost

**A/N: **:D and the story continues! XD I had so much fun the other day typing up small scenes for upcoming chapters! Like, some parts with Kim, others with Roxas, others with Sora and Kairi, you get the picture.

But have no fear! Even though Roxas is 'supposedly' getting a 'girlfriend' that doesn't mean the story will only focus on them. I'm planning on trying my hardest to keep everyone a part of the story. I just needed to add lots of drama and since Roxas is single well… -evil snickering-

But anyways, you all know the drill. No reviews no quick updates. But you all seem to be reviewing just fine :D so no worries. Right? I hope so…

**Hotaru89… **_I'm so happy! I thought you might like the chapter! This chapter 'hopefully' you'll like too, although, poor little Namine gets lost! Namine! NOOO! _

**Kenshinroks111… **_I'm so sorry you weren't one of the top reviewers! –cries- It's so hard for me to pick between all of my reviewers every chapter! It's gonna drive me off the edge! And it's okay he's not calling me, he's an ass munch anyways. BLEH! Who needs him! And Kims just fine, I saw her yesterday!_

**Chefbekah1304… **_Thanks for the awesome review! I'm glad you liked the chapter! And yeah, it sucked that Kim had to go to juvie for a while, thanks for sympathizing with me. I appreciate it. I pod batteries SUCK! But, at least I have an I pod. –sigh- _

**Volume-5… **_Yeah, what a doof! You and Kim are the only ones that know what happens. Hee hee, you gotta love the power. OF COURSE I TRUST YOU! You're like, only one of my most loyal reviewers, EVER! Yeah, the kh gang in the real world is awesome. AH! CUTE BUNNY! How did you do that! –looks shocked- it's sooo cute!_

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Really? I updated on your birthday!!!! Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My birthday is February 18th –sigh- with isn't anytime soon. But Yay! It's your birthday! Congratulations! –throws a party- _

**Animeloverz… **_XD that was great! Thanks for the laughs. That last chapter sounded like me trying to wake my little sister up every morning. BLEH:D thanks for your review!_

**That's it? next time REVIEW! Where are all of you going? **

So that's it. On to chapter 7!

**CHAPTER 7**

"_**Knock it off." Riku rolled his eyes as he finished up his meal, along with Sora and Namine. Soon, everyone was finished and they all went back to the hotel for the rest of the night. Wakka and Tidus stayed in the back of the hotel (outside) next to the pool and hot tub practicing blitz ball as Roxas skateboarded up and down the streets. Namine and Riku stayed in one of the lounges alone together and Sora and Kairi had already fallen asleep. Hayner and Olette continued to fight in their own room and Selphie chocolate in the dining hall, very pleased that the cooks were making anything she asked for her. **_

_**Vegas was already turning out to be a blast. **_

The next day, at exactly 10:32 a.m.

Olette woke up later than usual. Maybe it was because they were just relaxing today, or maybe it was because she just didn't want to talk to Hayner when she got up. The way he was acting the past two days, after all her generosity, made her furious. She didn't want to look at him, talk to him, sit next to, and none the less share this room with him. Maybe she'd kick him out and he could stay in Wakka's room, considering that Tidus had gotten two rooms and decided to stay with Selphie instead.

She turned over in her bed and sighed, facing the wall and staring blankly. Why Hayner was upset with her, she didn't want to think about. Why wouldn't he be happy if she bought him a trip to Las Vegas? – Of all places. He should be thrilled, just like the others were! Is behavior was infuriating her.

She tossed and turned, until she finally got up and stretched, yawning loudly. She browsed though her luggage, picked out a simple outfit, and got dressed. She brushed her hair and teeth and slipped on a pair of orange flip-flops and headed out of the hotel room. Just as she'd suspected, Hayner got up early and left the room already, in order to avoid her. He was so predictable.

She walked down the hall and into an elevator, where a man was waiting and he took her to the bottom floor as she desired. She walked into the lobby, and then into another room from there and down another hallway leading to her favorite spot to relax; lounge room #3. She took a cozy seat next to a large window with a view of the outdoor pool and hot tub, and next to the large, flat screen T.V.

The flipped through the channels and leaned back in the golden-colored couch. As the channel turned to a show she liked, she began watching and just relaxed, like she planned on doing the entire day.

A while later, around 11:25 a.m, she picked up the phone resting on the wall next to the couch and dialed the number for room service. She gave them the lounge room number and ordered a simple salad to keep herself from starving while the day continued slowly.

But just when she thought she was enjoying herself, you-know-who had to ruin it all by showing his face.

"Olette…" He walked into the room, leaning against the now closed door and crossing his arms, "I thought I'd find you here."

"Weren't you just busy whining in the other room?" She scowled, refusing to look at him as he came closer and sat down on the couch some-what close to her.

"Ha ha, very funny." His laugh was fake and forced. He seemed just as annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Olette asked faintly, looking out of the window, trying to seem as un-interested as possible. She still wasn't about to forgive him.

"I-"Hayner started but stopped himself; in case he said something stupid. Again. Olette was already angry with him, and it wasn't worth fighting about. At least, not any more. But he still felt he was right, and he wasn't about to give up for her own satisfaction. She'd just have to see it his way.

"If you're not going to answer me," Olette started, taking a deep breath and continuing to avoid his gaze, "**_Go Away_**."

Hayner blinked, his confidence being ripped away and thrown out of the window, "Olette, you have to understand-"

"I don't have to understand anything that comes out of your mouth and I won't." Olette huffed, turning her head to face him and putting on the more serious expression she had. She was fed up, and had had enough. Was he truly this ungrateful?

Hayner looked down at his feet and sighed his deepest, giving in, "I'm sorry…"

"You'd better be." Her mood wavered as she spoke in faint tones.

"It's just," Hayner started again, "I feel terrible using your money like this. Whether its just your fathers or not."

"Was that what this was all about?" Olette tried not to laugh at herself for being so naive, "You don't have to feel bad."

"It just feels… _wrong." _Hayner confessed, "Just… Don't do it again, okay?"

"Okay!" Olette smiled warmly at him.

Hayner looked up at her in shock. He won, just like that?

"As long as you promise me you'll enjoy what's left of this trip."

"I promise." He smiled back, and hesitated to grab her hand.

She leaned in closer, but slowly, and he tilted his head just a little.

_**Knock! Knock!**_

"Room service!" A merry voice sang from outside, freezing the two.

Hayner sighed, "I'll get it for you…"

**000**

"Where're you going, Namine?" Riku asked as he watched his girlfriend grab a small purse and stuff it with some cash she had won the night before in the hotel in a mini lottery.

"On a walk." She looked over her shoulder and smiled brightly, enough to make him laugh, "Did you want to come?"

"Nah," He shook his head, "I promised Wakka, Tidus, and Sora I'd play some 2 vs. 2 blitz ball with then. Do you think you'll be okay going alone?"

"I'll be just fine!" She smiled even wider.

Riku walked up to her side and leaned in closer to her, raising an eye brow, "You sure? Because I could always cancel-"

She cut him off, "No, I'll be okay!" She assured.

Riku grunted and pulled away, still examining her face for any sign of doubt, but shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever."

She put down her purse, and turned him to face her again, throwing her arms around his neck and laughing. He seemed taken back at first, but knowing Riku, he went along with her sudden actions by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Be careful." Riku said before hugging her, "Promise me."

"I promise." She winked at him seductively.

He snickered evilly as he held her tighter against his chest and leaned in closer. Namine rubbed the back of his neck as he tilted his head and kissed her tenderly on the lips. He pressed his lips against hers harder as their lips began to move faster and the kiss deepened. Riku snickered against her lips as his hands went _lower…_

…But Namine pulled away before he was ready to say good-bye.

"I have to leave, now!" Namine grabbed her purse and ran out of the door and down the hall after blowing a kiss his way and waving.

Riku stood there and sighed, staring at the corner table next to him, "You left your cell phone, Namine…" He mumbled to himself. This couldn't be good…

**000**

Namine rushed out of the tall doors of the hotel and down the crowded streets of Vegas. Overexcited, she pushed through person after person and made her way farther into the grand city of lights until she reached a street that wasn't as crowded, still crowded, but not as much.

She sighed peacefully to herself as she merrily strolled down the sidewalk, peaking in shops that she passed by now and then and taking in the beauty of the city. With her purse hanging at her side, she walked down street after street turning left and then right and in and out of interesting looking shops. She bought herself lunch after a while and a few nick-knacks. She even bought herself a pretty new necklace that she strung around her neck that read in red, sparking letters: Viva Las Vegas!

With a smile on her face the size of mars, she continued her walk in the very un-boring city. Until she realized something when she felt like going back to the hotel.

_She was hopelessly lost. _No map, she checked her purse and no phone, and nobody would give her directions.

But, she had change, and there was a pay phone near by.

She grabbed a few quarters and made her way to a pay phone across the street. She put 50 cents in the coin slot and dialed the number to the hotel.

"How may I help you?" A voice sounded on the other like.

"Can I talk to Riku in room number 283?" Namine asked politely.

"Riku…Riku…" She could hear him flip through a book and check a computer, "It seems he's stepped out for the evening."

"Well then can I talk to—"Namine paused as a man came up and stood next to her, and she dropped the phone, "Oh god…"

"Hello? Hello?!" The voice kept trying over the phone, and simply gave up and hung up.

"Give me your purse." The man commanded with a loaded pistol pointing as her head.

Namine hesitated to give it to him, and he snagged it from her hands. She looked around, why wasn't anyone helping her?

"Now count to ten!" The man then ran away as quickly as possible.

"H-hey…" Namine thought for a moment, not to sure of what happened, and then it hit her.

"GET BACK HERE!" Namine yelled after the man as he ran away into the crowds of people.

She soon gave up and sat on the side of the street, holding her face up in her hands as she sighed deeply.

Great, just great. Not only was she lost, she had no cash to call the hotel ether. Maybe Vegas wasn't a good idea.

But just as she was about to give up hope, a familiar voice called her name.

"Namine!" The voice yelled, getting her attention and she helped herself off of the ground to see who it was. It was Riku!

"Riku!" She ran at him and hugged him as tightly as possible, literally jumping into his arms.

"I told you to be careful!" Riku wrapped his arms around her as she flung her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry!" Namine rested her head against his chest.

"What happened?" He asked, concerned for her.

"I was robbed!" Namine told, getting a gasp out of Riku.

"No more walks," Riku insisted, "It could've been much worse."

"I know." Namine sighed.

"Here." Riku took something out of his pocked and handed it to her as she pulled away, "You left your cell phone at the hotel."

"Thanks." She took it from him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Let's go back now." Riku pointed behind him, "It's quite a ways away."

As soon as the two were back (2 hours later: 3:55p.m.) They were stopped by Roxas, again, as he pushed passed them on his skateboard.

"Watch out!" He flew past them, also being followed by one of the furious managers.

"Ha ha!" Roxas laughed out loud as he flew past them a second time and disappeared into one of the hallways.

"Get back here, you stupid kid!" The manager rushed after him.

"Oh brother…" Riku slapped his forehead, "Here too?"

Namine shrugged, "Let him do what he wants. It won't be us that get kicked out anyways."

"Hm." Riku grunted and the two left to their room.

At the end of the day, you could still hear the manager screaming and Roxas laughing hysterically.

**+To Be Continued+**

**A/N: **:D The chapter was longer than I expected it to be! Well, I hope you review, because I have no problem not updating till I have 8 reviews, because I already have chapter 8 written up and ready to update when you're ready to review. So, it's up to you when I update!

**The Awards!**

Top reviewer of chapter 6 was: **Volume-5**

2nd place:**kenshinroks2111**

3rd place:**Animeloverz**

**News about me!**

Nothing really, other than… I'M GOING TO A CONCERT TO SEE **NICKLEBACK** FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's good to know the right people:3

**In the next chapter**

XD I'm sure it won't be a boring chapter. It's the 3rd day in Vegas and they go to see another show (not a sit com) in a fancy theater and, well, you'll see.

Should I give you a sneak peak this time...? Hm… No, I'll keep it a surprise:D

**A NEW STORY!**

T.T I missed writing fluff about Sora and Kairi so I wrote a one-shot about them called **_fairytale _**it you'd like to go R&R it for me! But I promise, more soraxkairi fluff in this story will come, I'm already thinking about where, when, why, and how. Not in the next chapter-but soon. In the mean time, you can read some of my other one-shots too! I've got loads of em XD!

**Later! **

That's it for now. -- I have to go re-beat FFX again. T.T I have yet to buy myself a new game.

YAY ME! –dances- Cracker-jacks000


	8. Sorry

**A/N: **Hello! Sorry it took so long to update, I was waiting for another 8 reviews, which was a little hard to get because, well, I don't know. I guess everyone's busy; which is okay because I've been busy too. But here's something I've decided I wanna do about this…

Since, some how, the first 5 chapters of the story had over ten reviews each, and now I've not even getting 8 (I got 7 this chapter and 6 the last), this is what I plan on doing. If I don't get **8 reviews**, I won't update for **3 weeks**. But no fear, the people who DO review, well, it wouldn't be fair. So, even if I don't get 8 reviews, the people who review this chapter will have the next chapter sent to them + a sneak peak between him and his future 'girlfriend.'

:D there! Totally fair!

So, I hope you like this chapter and decide to **REVIEW!**

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_guess-what! There's- AH- you'll see. If you're still having trouble with defender x, e-mail me and I'll send you a whole walk through. No problem! (check my profile for my e-mail) Thanks for reading my one-shot! I appreciate it! _

**chefbekah1304… **_ Thanks so much! I love getting your reviews! Is the game good? My favorite game –of course- is kingdom hearts. But, I'm sure you've guessed that by now. XD _

**Alpha male… **_Sorry about it being short, I'm working on making the chapters longer. It'll take a while though. Good thing I update faster than most. XD _

**Animeloverz… **_YEAH! Thanks! XD your reviews ALWAYS make me laugh! Thanks so much! I'm sorry about that girl trying to get your man. I hate it when people do that! X( Not the best way to make friends. I wish I were seeing Sum 41 though. -.- _

**Volume-5… **_XD That's okay, at least you were reviewing in the first place. 2 of my other reviewers have gone missing! And the stuff between Olette and Hayner was meant to be a little funny. XD thanks a bunch for the review! _

**Sayshello3… **_Aw, Thanks! I LOVE getting reviews from you! They make me feel appreciated. Thanks so much! _

**Katchi… **_I'm glad you liked the game! I'm still thinking about buying it. (after I beat FF10 X() _

Yep, one review short.

p.s. I might (even without 8 reviews) update on thanks giving or the day after that. I'm terrible at being mean around the holidays.

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**CHAPTER 8 **

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**_"Oh brother…" Riku slapped his forehead, "Here too?" _**

**__**

**_Namine shrugged, "Let him do what he wants. It won't be us that get kicked out anyways." _**

**__**

**_"Hm." Riku grunted and the two left to their room. _**

**__**

**_At the end of the day, you could still hear the manager screaming and Roxas laughing hysterically. _**

The next morning at 9 a.m.

"Hmmm…." Kairi turned over in her bed and took a deep breath of the scented hotel air. It smelt like breakfast, which made her hungry.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, facing the opposite side of the bed, where Sora was 'supposed' to be, but wasn't there.

Kairi sighed, and then yawned. She hadn't really gotten to spend time with him alone since they got there. But nothing seemed to be bothering him, so she just 'kinda' let it go. But she couldn't help missing him. And then…

"Surprise!" A voice yelled with excitement. Kairi suddenly turned her head to the other side of the bed to see Sora grinning like an idiot and a tray full of breakfast food.

She blinked, "Sora?"

"Are you hungry?" He asked anxiously.

"Uh, Why?" Kairi continued to stare blankly.

Sora set the tray on her lap and sat on the bed across from her, "Because I brought you food, so eat it."

"All of this?" Kairi stared down at the tray, which was stuffed full of food. Donuts, pancakes, waffles, fancy breakfast food she didn't know the name of, est.

"I'll help!" Sora smiled even brighter.

"Well…" Kairi continued to stare, also listening to her stomach growl at her, "If you say so."

Sora laughed and the two stuffed their faces, until they had to force themselves to stop eating. Sora went for the donuts first, Kairi went for the fancy food, and then they fought over the rest. Skipping dinner the night before wasn't a great idea, it wouldn't happen again.

"Ah!" Sora leaned against the wall and removed some annoying hair out of his face, licking his lips while doing so.

Kairi threw the tray to the side and did the same, lounging against the wall and staring at the ceiling as they sat on the bed.

"That was good." Sora smiled his trademark smile, and rested his hands behind his head.

"Thanks." Kairi looked to her side and at his face, admiring his grin. His happy attitude was contagious.

"Do you wanna go see what the others are doing? Olette said she had another thing planned today." Sora looked at her and asked, still licking the syrup off his lips.

Kairi's smile wavered, "Uh… Sure."

"Something wrong?" Sora leaned towards her, scanning her face for answers.

Kairi shook her head and got up, "No, it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" Sora tried to smile at her, but worry still filled his eyes.

Kairi nodded, not saying a thing.

Sora sighed and the two left the room and slowly walked down the empty hallway together as silence filled the area. Kairi looked down at her feet and Sora stared off to the side. The silence was a bit _awkward_.

They reached the elevator and stepped inside as the doors closed behind them and the elevator started to move down to the bottom floor.

Everything stayed quiet until Kairi broke the silence, "Kairi…"

Kairi looked at him suddenly, "Wh-what?"

He looked at her and tried to smile again, "You know…" Sora took a deep breath and looked away from her, "We haven't really gotten to spend much time together, huh?"

Kairi looked down and frowned, refusing to say a word, which told Sora she agreed.

There was another long silence until the elevator finally stopped moving and reached the bottom floor, and the two stepped out into the crowded area. They walked past the still furious manager who had given up on Roxas the right before, and past another crowd next to another lounge. They also walked past several couples holding hands and laughing, and a few people that looked at them as though they shouldn't be here.

They reached Olette's favorite lounge room and entered _still_ without any noise. They sat on the couch next to the window and waited, knowing Olette would show up with the others sooner or later.

Sora sat on one end of the couch, while Kairi sat on the other, and they both continued to avoid each others gaze. Sora rubbed the back of his head and sighed under his breath, not feeling too well about ignoring his girlfriend the whole time they were here. Kairi continued to stare at the floor and play with some loose strands of her hair, wrapping the red locks around her fingers.

Sora took a deep breath of air and looked to his side and at the girl, admiring her beauty as she continued to stare off into space, not realizing that he was watching. He watched her continue to play with her hair as her gaze shifted to outside of the large, opened window.

He wanted to say something… _Anything_. But words wouldn't come. Nothing would. He was to taken back by her beauty as he continued to stare lovingly.

But after a solid five minutes she felt his eyes on her, and she turned to look at him. Sora flinched, taken back by her sudden awareness and blushed and she watched him with a confused expression.

"I…" Sora looked the opposite way, "never mind."

Kairi sighed and looked and her hands as she played with her thumbs, wishing that Olette would show up already. She couldn't take any more awkward silence. It was too much.

"I'm sorry." Sora finally said, catching Kairi's attention again as she looked at him, "I… I should've made more time for you." He finished.

Kairi smiled a little, "It's okay."

"No it's not." Sora complained, and then patted the spot on the couch next to him, asking her to come closer, "It's just…not."

She scooted next to him and sat down at his side as he sighed deeply for a third time.

She bit her bottom lip and scooted even closer, until she was as close as she could get, "It's not your fault."

"I could've spent the whole day with you yesterday but instead I hung out with the guys. I shouldn't have ignored you."

Kairi smiled faintly and softly rested her head on his shoulder, and then grabbed his hand, which Sora didn't mind at all, "It's okay. Really."

He laced his fingers through hers and rested his head on top of hers, almost dizzy with the smell of strawberries. How was it possible for someone to smell _that good? _

"I should make it up to you." Sora told, getting her to look up at him, which forced his head off of hers.

"Like what?" She asked, but just because she wanted to know what he'd come up with.

"Ah…" Sora looked up at the ceiling, "I don't know. Maybe I'll just buy you something."

Kairi sighed, closing her eyes and mentally slapping herself for even asking.

"Or…" He caught her attention as he looked back down at her, "I could-"

"What?" Kairi asked, cutting him off before he could finish.

Sora helped himself to his feet and brought her up with him, also grabbing her other hand and lacing it with his.

"Sora…?" Kairi fixed her eyes on his.

Sora leaned in closer, until his spiky hair was against her forehead and he was breathing her air. He closed his eyes and opened them again as Kairi watched, here eyes still fixed on him and he sighed sweetly.

He caressed her fingertips and positioned his nose next to hers, getting even closer, to where both of their clasped hands were being pressed in between their chests.

Kairi's eyes slowly began to close and Sora tilted his head slightly in response. A small smile crept onto her lips as he inched closer, if it were even possible.

Sora breathed in the sweet sent of strawberries again, taking it all in slowly, "I love you." He said, but he felt he didn't say enough. What else was there to say?

"I love you, too." Kairi's eyes closed completely.

He finally closed what space there was left between their faces and kissed her lips tenderly. He wished it would last forever. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, and she responded by lightly placing her arms around his shoulders. He held her tightly against him, so tight that he swore he could hear her heart beat. It was racing, just as his was.

He removed one of his arms from around her slim waist and slid the side of his hand just under her jaw, his fingers tilting her chin further as the kiss deepened. He sighed against her mouth, amazed by how wonderful her lips tasted; Strawberries.

He pulled away slowly, but continued to rest his forehead against hers, breathing deeply and waiting for the emotional high to settle. His head was still tilted and he was still breathing in the air she breathed out. God, he loved her.

Suddenly the door opened, revealing Olette, all by herself, "Hey, I came to--- Uh, am I interrupting?"

Kairi blushed a bright color of red, resembling a giant cherry, as Sora suddenly pulled away, nearly tripping over the coffee table and onto the couch.

Olette chuckled and started to close the door, leaving them to piece.

"Olette wait-"Sora re-gained his posture, "When're we leaving?"

Olette smiled sweetly, "We're going tomorrow instead, I thought the show was today."

"O-oh!" Sora laughed, resulting Olette rolling her eyes and leaving. Kairi laughed alone with him, and soon enough, the two were laughing so hard they had to lean on each other for balance. Why were they laughing, they hadn't a clue. Maybe it was at themselves.

"You wanna go get some lunch?" Sora asked in between laughs.

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea." Kairi hushed herself, in an effort to stop herself from laughing too hard.

The two finally settled down and headed out of the room and into the fancy dining hall, hand-in-hand. But… They were greeted by Selphie before they could even reach the end of the hall way.

"HA! I knew I'd find you guys here!" Selphie laughed out loud.

"What gives you that idea?" Sora asked.

"Olette told me you two were smooching!" Selphie laughed even louder, getting the attention of quite a few people.

Sora slapped his forehead and Kairi rolled her eyes.

There was no escaping Selphie.

**+To Be Continued+ **

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**A/N: **3 weeks! Just another reminder about what I said in the top authors note. I mean it! (although I might update this weekend anyways because of the holidays.)

**8 REVIEWS! **

Don't leave it to someone else to review for you, because I want to know what all of you think! I know you're most likely busy, we all are, but if you review you get a sneak peak at Roxas and is so called 'girlfriend.' I'm not giving out any names, but it's pretty cute.

**ABOUT THIS CHAPTER **

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There was a demand for SoraxKairi fluff, so I fulfilled your needs. I was planning on doing the show this chapter, but had to write fluff and decided to save it for the last day in Vegas. WHOO! Just know, it's pretty good.

**News about MEE! **

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Nothing for the moment… -- but… Kim will be back at my school in January! _WHOO!_

**SNEAK**** PEAK**** (for chapter 9) **

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_"Go, go, go! Come on, get up there!" The man yelled harshly. _

__

_"Oh…" Roxas coed, "I've ALWAYS wanted to do this!" _

__

_"I haven't!" Namine screamed nervously, "Please don't make me do this-" _

__

_"GO ALREADY!" the man yelled again. _

__

**That's it for now! Have a WONDERFUL thanks giving! **

p.s. I want to know what your favorite bands are, just out of curiosity. I'll start, my favorite band is sum 41. THE ROCK! And the hot emo kid at my school actually met them. 0.0

7 DAYS! –I MEAN- 3 WEEKS! –cracker-jacks000 


	9. Bad day

**A/N: **I hope you all had a great week! And- it's getting closer to winter break so that means more updates! If you review, of course. But I'm glad to have so many wonderful reviewers:D Makes me feel like my work pays off. So thanks!

**REVIEW! **

**THE HOT GUITAR PLAYING MENA--… **_Thanks for the review! And yeah, the red hot chili peppers are pretty good. I like the 'Danny California' song. Thanks again! _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_Yeah, I wasn't joking when I said three weeks. –shudders- but I'm TERRIBLE at being mean, so we'll see how much I can last. But if I get 8 reviews per chapter, well, it won't be a big deal. Thanks for the review! _

**Alpha Male… **_Sorry, I'm still working on making the chapters longer though. I'm usually the kind of person that wants things done quickly, so I don't have to worry about it later, which is probably why the chapters are a little short. BUT… At least they're longer than in the first story, and I update pretty quickly when motivated. Thanks for the review! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_Thanks! Sorry about you being so busy –sigh- I know how it feels. I've had homework and tests in every class every day the past WEEK! BLEH! Buuuuut… Winter break's coming soon so that means I'll be updating like cra-zay! (That is, if I get 8 reviews per chapter –shrugs-) Have no fear! NO FEAR! I defiantly WILL NOT ignore my **favorite** couple. SoraxKairi forever! _

**Katchi… **_Thanks for the review! . You're the second person to say 'red hot chili Peppers.' XD Rock on… _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Yay! I'm glad you liked the fluff! I was very happy writing it:D there was a pretty high demand for it. Anywho, I think the site is having problems sending us e-mails, just like a few weeks ago. I'm sure it'll be fixed soon. Have a great weekend! _

**Bloodyrose… **_Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you had a nice thanks giving! _

**Sayshello3… **_YAY! I'm glad you like it! I loved writing it! The comment you made that said I was really good at writing fluff, I want to thank you specially for that. :D It made me feel Happy! Oh, and THANK YOU for reading my other stories and reviewing! I appreciate it! _

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Yay! 8 reviews! Well, I hope you like the chapter! Remember! **3 WEEKS!** (if your confused refer to the previous chapter in the first authors note.)

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**CHAPTER 9 **

**__**

**_"HA! I knew I'd find you guys here!" Selphie laughed out loud. _**

**__**

**_"What gives you that idea?" Sora asked. _**

**__**

**_"Olette told me you two were smooching!" Selphie laughed even louder, getting the attention of quite a few people. _**

**__**

**_Sora slapped his forehead and Kairi rolled her eyes. _**

**__**

**_There was no escaping Selphie. _**

**__**

**__**

The Last day: 11:34 a.m.

Namine walked through the main area of the hotel where the crowds and crowds of people rushed from here to there, this way and that, in and out, I'm sure you get it. Riku had left earlier, claiming he needed to talk to the guys _alone, _and wouldn't let her come. Kairi and Sora weren't in their rooms and Olette was most likely in her favorite lounge. So, she was hanging out with Selphie for the time being, seeing as nobody else was to be found.

"Olette said she had one last thing planned before we left for home tomorrow." Selphie snickered to herself, "I wonder what it is…"

"Ah…" Namine through her hands in the air, "Let her keep her secrets. Not like I care."

"I love secrets!" Selphie squealed in excitement, getting a hopeless sigh out of Namine.

"I know, Selphie." Namine rolled her eyes and scanned the room they were in, checking every possible place for Riku. She didn't expect him to be gone for _that_ long. She was curious.

"Have you seen Tidus?" Selphie leaned over and looked up at Namine, who seemed to be getting more and more frustrated with her failure to find Riku by the second.

"No, have you seen Riku?" Namine questioned, taking a second to push a few people out of the way and look out of a large window.

"Nope!" Selphie re-gained her posture and followed as Namine quickened her pace out of the room and down one of the hallways.

"Maybe Olette'll know something." Namine approached lounge room number 3. She stopped in front of the door and turned the golden knob, revealing the room inside. But…

Namine sighed, nobody was there, "Where is everyone?"

"How bout' we wait for _them_ to come to _us_?" Selphie suggested, lacing her fingers behind her back, a smile creeping over her lips.

Namine sighed deeper, "Fine, where do we wait for them?"

"TO THE KITCHEN!" Selphie grabbed her wrist and pointed onward, rushing down the hall and into the dining area, dragging Namine alone with her.

Namine couldn't help but laugh. Selphie just had to be… _Selphie. _

As soon as the two reached the dining hall they sat at the biggest table in the room, which happened to be in the very center, even though it was just the two of them.

"Whoa…." Namine admired the insanely large, gorgeously decorated room as she sat down breathlessly in her cozy seat.

"It gets better." Selphie laughed, and then holding both of her hands up to her mouth, preparing to scream.

"Huh?" Namine fixed her gaze on Selphie as she took in a deep, _deep _breath.

"ECHO!" Selphie yelled at the top of her lungs, and then covered Namine's mouth before she could say a word, "now listen!"

In the background the two could faintly hear Selphie's scream repeating itself, getting dimmer and dimmer and dimmer as it went.

_ECHO, Echo, echo… _

"Whoa…" Namine repeated, staring at the decorative ceiling. _Breathtaking. _

"Told ya it was cool!" Selphie leaned back in her cozy chair, resting her feet on the table in front of her, getting a sigh out of Namine.

"Maybe if I yelled Riku's name…" Namine's lips curved into a devilish grin, and she inhaled, getting ready to shout at the top of her lings, " RI-"

"He wont hear you." Selphie leaned back further and laughed out load, "The whole room is sound proof."

She exhaled, "Damn…"

"But…" Selphie removed her feet from the table and took one deep breath, "We can try!"

Namine nodded, and inhaled again, "RIKU!"

"DUMB ASS!" Selphie screamed next, getting a grunt out of Namine.

"Ouch!" Another voice yelled from the right of the room (behind them), catching both of their attention.

"I knew it." Namine smirked. Of course, it was Riku.

"And I'm not a dumb ass!" He huffed at Selphie, who only laughed, throwing her hands up in the air as if to say, 'yeah, sure you're not.'

"Where've you been?" Namine stood up from her chair and pocked at his chest.

"With the guys and Olette." Riku folded his arms and backed away, avoiding Namine's pocking.

"What were you doing with them?" Namine mimicked his actions, also folding her arms and smirking.

"Where's Tidus?" Selphie interrupted, suddenly gaining interest in the couple's conversation.

"He's outside with Wakka, where else?" Riku rolled his eyes.

"See ya!" Selphie jumped out of her chair, grabbing one of the chocolates in the bowl that rested in the middle of the table, and rushed out of the room quickly.

"Figures." Namine shook her head.

"A-anyways…" Riku grabbed her hand and led her away from the middle of the room, where the people who 'just happened' to be there couldn't see them, and then led her quickly and quietly outside.

"Okay." He started, stopping with her behind the pool house, just out of everyone's site, "I have to tell you something."

"Yes?" Namine let go of his hand and continued folding her arms.

"Well…" Riku paused, "First, I have to ask you a question."

"_Yes?" _Namine pressed on.

"Do you have stage fright?" Riku eyed her.

Namine was taken back a little, "huh?"

"Just answer."

"N-no…" She lied.

"Great!" Riku smiled widely, unfolding both of her arms and holding her hands in his, "Then you'll love what Olette planned today!"

_Oh great… _Namine thought to herself, trying to smile back at her cheerful boyfriend, _you've gone and done it now… _

"What she planned on doing today was-"

"HA!" A voice yelled from behind them ,"I knew I'd find you two here!"

They both froze, musta been Selphie. But no, it was…

_Roxas? _

"Wha…?" Namine looked over her shoulder and the two stared.

Roxas folded his arms, "Olette wants all of us at the Limo in the front of the hotel."

"Right." Riku nodded his head, being as tall as he was, he didn't need top lean over to see him. He was looking over Namine's head, "We'll be right there."

"See you there!" Roxas said, and then ran off around the building.

"So what was she going to do?" Namine looked back up at him.

He shook his head, "You'll see." And then he grabbed her hand and ran off in the direction of the Limo, "Let's go!"

"But-"

"You'll see!" He repeated.

Namine sighed and went along with it all. Although, Riku's questioned scared her a little. Why would he want to know if she had stage fright? She had a bad feeling about this.

They reached the Limo and jumped inside, Riku sitting next to Sora and Pulling Namine next to him.

"So…" Kairi looked at Olette, "What do you have planned?" She asked, her eyes full of excitement.

Olette said nothing; instead, she was smiling wickedly to herself and staring off in another direction.

"Please?" Kairi begged.

Olette laughed a little and shook her head.

"Aw, why not?"

"Because."

"Because _why?" _

Olette shrugged, "Just… Because."

Kairi crossed her arms and huffed, getting a chuckle out of Sora.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Ah… Nothing…" Sora laughed harder.

Kairi only huffed again, "HMPH!"

"I'd like to know too." Namine bit her bottom lip, looking at Riku with pleading eyes.

"No!" all the guys and Olette said at the same time.

"Jeez…" the rest of the girls muttered.

All-of-a-sudden the Limo came to a shocking **STOP**, sending everyone fling forward. Roxas hit his head on the ceiling, Olette landed on Hayner who landed on Sora who landed on the ground, Riku caught Namine who feel the opposite direction of him and landed backwards, Tidus landed on Wakka's arm and Selphie landed on Tidus, and pence landed on his camera.

"Oh man!" Roxas tried to gain balance again, holding his head as he saw double of everyone, dizzy as he was.

"My camera!" Pence held his broken camera up to his face and wept.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Sora yelled at Hayner and Olette.

"That was close…" Riku was still holding onto Namine on his chest tightly, just in case it happened again, "Another second and I wouldn't have caught you."

"**Ow**…" Wakka pushed Tidus off of his arm and massaged it.

"Selphie, are you okay?" Tidus held Selphie close to him.

"I'm fine." She shook her head.

"K-kairi?" Sora looked around once he got the others off of him, "Where the hell is kairi?" he held his head and panicked, pushing everyone out of the way and jumping out of the limo, checking the streets, "Kairi? KAIRI!?"

"Calm down!" Kairi pulled herself out of the car with all of her strength, "I'm right here!"

"Kairi!" He rushed and kneeled down to her side.

"Ungh…" She sat up and grabbed her leg.

"Wh-what happened?" Sora examined her leg.

"It hurts." She informed, "Really bad."

"Uh…" Sora looked around at all the people circling the limo, questioning looks on their worried faces, "here." With that he picked her up and stood on his feet, and then backed away so the others could get out. Kairi flung one arm around his neck and the other clung to his jacket as she buried her head in his chest, breathing deeply. She was scared.

"My limo!" The limo driver ran to the side and yelled, running around in circles screaming.

"My head…" Roxas continued to hold his head up as he left the limo first.

"Damn, what was that?" Riku grabbed Namines hand and walked the two of them out, and he examined the front of the limo.

Great, just _great. _The limo had crashed into the car in front of it with such force, the whole front of the limo was blown to bits and _on fire. _

Olette gasped and covered her mouth, "Oh my…"

"I'll call someone to come and take it away so it can get fixed." The Limo driver said as he started dialing a number on his cell phone.

"What do we do in the mean time?" Pence asked, still sobbing over his broken camera.

The limo driver shook his head, "Look, kid, I don't know."

"We could still go see the show," Olette suggested, "It's only a block and a half from here."

They all shot her death glares.

"Does this look like the time we should be celebrating?" Sora questioned, also pointing out Kairi was hurt.

"Well, what else do we do while we wait for the limo to repair?" Olette defended herself, "And it's also our last day here!"

"That sounds like a GREAT idea!" The limo driver interrupted their conversation, "I'll just pick you all up with a rented limo after the show."

"Fine." Riku gave in.

"But after," Sora started, "Kairi _needs _to get back to destiny islands and into the hospital. She hurt her leg and I'm not trusting any of the doctors here. "

"Okay." They all nodded their heads.

The limo driver gave Olette his phone number, just in case, and they all walked forward towards the theater, besides Kairi, Sora was carrying her there.

"Olette!" Sora walked up to her and whispered just quietly enough so kairi wouldn't hear them.

"Hm?"

"What's Kairi supposed to do when we get there?" He asked.

"Sit and watch, obviously, she can't move." Olette pointed out, and Sora rolled his eyes at her sarcasm.

When they finally got to the large theater building they went to last time to see the sit com, they entered the building and were greeted by the same man from before. He led them to the seats right in front of the stage and they all quietly sat down, waiting for the show to start, which was in about an hour; they were early. Just what Olette planned.

She laughed to herself evilly and the other girls gave her glares. The rolled their eyes and time went on, until there was about 45 minutes left.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from a distance.

They all looked over their shoulder at a _very _tall man coming towards them, "Yes?" Olette asked.

"Are you all the back ups that volunteered for tonight?" he asked, getting a funny look out of all the girls besides Olette, who only nodded, her wicked smile not leaving its place.

"Come with me!" He told, and then they all got up, and Sora picked up Kairi again.

"What's going on?" Namine asked.

"This is what I planned!" she informed as they were being led up onto the stage and into the dressing rooms in the back.

"Yeah, I got that part, but what's your plan?" Namine asked again.

"Heh. heh heh…" Olette laughed, "I hope you don't have stage fright!

Namine's stomach dropped. Did that mean they were going to perform?... on stage?... in front of hundreds of people and several cameras?

_Oh dear god… _

"You don't mean…" Kairi gave Olette a suspicious look while clinging onto Soras neck tighter.

"You'll see." Olette sang, "But you'll have to watch from the side of the stage because of your injury." Kairi felt relived, taking a deep breath and thanking the lord she wouldn't have to be a part of this.

"A part of what?" Selphie suddenly gained interest and snapped back into reality. She had spent the first few moments before day dreaming.

"You'll see." Olette repeated, starting to sound annoyed beyond her limits. Olette was meant to be a nice person, but… well; Selphie was just being too… Well she was just being her and it was annoying. As usual.

Selphie huffed and folded her arms. But soon, they reached back stage and the man assigned them to different dressing rooms, the girls to one and the boys to another, although Sora was allowed one minute in the girls room to set Kairi down the couch that was inside, and then he left to the other room, shutting the door behind him.

"Now will you tell us what's going on?" Namine asked as another girl entered the room and sat them down in the chairs in front of the large mirror, switching from girl to girl to do their hair properly.

"No." Olette rolled her eyes.

"You can tell me," Kairi informed, "Since I won't be a part of it anyways."

"I didn't make it obvious enough?" Olette questioned, "I thought I was being totally readable."

"Just tell us." Selphie huffed, "The guys already know."

"Because I told them." Olette informed.

"Come on!" Namine groaned.

"Fine!" Olette sighed in defeat, "We're going to perform on the stage during the show with other professional dancers, but we'll look the nicest."

"I can't dance!" Namine hesitated, "don't make me do it!"

"I already signed you in." Olettes snickered.

"Well I don't mind." Selphie shrugged, "It's not like I have stage fright."

"I don't have stage fright!" Namine shouted, becoming a bit jittery.

"I didn't say you did…" Selphie gave her a funny look.

"Well I don't!" Namine shouted again.

"Okay, okay!" Selphie laughed at her.

Meanwhile… in the background Kairi was still partying over the fact she wouldn't have to dance in front of all those people.

Soon, their hair was finished and another woman came in, giving them all fancy, sparkling, brim stone incrusted clothing that looked like, well, something a high class dancer would wear.

"I have to dance in that?" Namine eyed the clothing as it was handed to her. This was getting even worse.

"I like it!" Selphie said as soon as she was dressed, "I look great!"

"I wonder what the guys look like…?" Olette thought for a moment, and them laughed at herself.

"Oh…" Namine looked at herself in the mirror, "I love like a dork!"

Kairi was having a field day, "Yeah, good thing I don't have to wear that, none the less dance in that!"

"You're not helping." Namine glared at her.

A while later, a nock on the door was hear.

"Come in!" The girls told.

Sora had opened the door and came in to retrieve Kairi, "The show starts in 5 minutes, I hope you're ready." He laughed at the girls, and then picked Kairi up, walking her out of the room and to the side of the stage, just out of sight. He set her down on the cozy chair he set up, just for her, and set her down.

"I can't wait to see it!" Kairi squealed as she sat in the chair.

He stared at her lovingly, "You enjoy it."

"I will!" Kairi only squealed louder.

The rest of the girls came out of the dressing room to meet the guys just behind the stage, where crowds and crowds of dances rushed from place to place.

"I don't feel too good about this..." Namine shuddered.

"You'll be fine!" Riku assured.

"Are you ready?" The tall man came back and pushed them towards the stage where the other dancers were starting to arranged themselves in front of the large crowd.

"No…" Namine gulped, looking out at the crowd and gasping.

"Okay, honey, look. Even if you're just spinning in circles you'll look great because those other dancers will be surrounding you. So, just do what they do." The man informed.

"But-" Namine hesitated to finish, the man really started to look irritated.

"Go, go, go! Come on, get up there!" The man yelled harshly.

"Oh…" Roxas coed, "I've ALWAYS wanted to do this!"

"I haven't!" Namine screamed nervously, "Please don't make me do this-"

"GO ALREADY!" The man yelled again.

"Here goes nothing." Namine thought out load.

They all rushed onto the middle of the stage as the music began to play and the dancers flew this was and that, to the side, _up and down. _

"Ha ha!" Selphie jumped up and down and spun in circles, imitating the other dancers as best as she could, having fun with the whole thing. The guys were already hidden by the other dancers so they were no where to be found, leaving Namine all by herself because Olette had ran to the front to the stage with some of the other dancers.

"Uh…" Namine tried to dance a little, hiding herself behind a few tall dancers in the back of the stage. And then, she started to get into it. She danced this way, and then that way, copying the dancers she was around perfectly to the music.

She started laughing at herself, totally forgetting the crowd she was in front of, as of now; they weren't there to her. She couldn't believe how fun this was! Kairi was missing out, big time!

But soon, to her dismay, the song ended and everyone clapped. Namine was being dragged off of the stage because she didn't want to leave it.

When they got behind the stage again, where kairi was, they discovered she was still laughing.

She clapped for them, "Bravo!" Kairi only laughed harder.

"I wanna do it again!" Namine looked at Olette pleadingly.

"Well-" Olette started but was cut off by Sora.

"I wanna get Kairi back to Destiny Islands!" He huffed.

"Alright, fine." Olette pointed to the dressing rooms and they all got back into their usual clothes, and then departed the building and jumped into the limo that was waiting outside. Sora carried Kairi and sat up front next to the driver with her there so he could watch her, and the others sat in the very back watching the TV. that had been installed into the new limo.

The drive took 13 hours, and as soon as they reached Destiny Islands again it was 1 am in the morning. The first stop was the hospital, where Sora and Kairi were dropped off at, and then everyone else was dropped off at their homes and they fell asleep. Later that day, the others decided to go see Kairi at the hospital…

"Are you okay?" Olette asked, very worried.

"It's just my leg." Kairi smiled, also pointing down at her cast.

"I get to sign it first!" Selphie declared.

"No I do!" Roxas huffed, pushing her out of the way, "I wanna sign first too!" Namine joined.

Kairi laughed and then pointed to the left side her cast, where there was a signature, "Too late, Sora signed already."

They shot death glares at him and he only shrugged, "You snooze you lose."

The rest of the day went pretty much normal, besides everyone's rush to get everything finished before school started the very next day. Kairi was given crutches, so she could move around with her leg being like this, and was driven home by her parents, who assured her friends Kairi would be at school the next day.

_School… _Oh, that word sounded horrible. And sure enough, with all the things about to happen this next year, it was going to be another loooooooooooooong 12 months.

And they didn't even know what was coming.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

****

**A/N: **Phew! I'm finally done with las Vegas, and can finally really start this story! –laughs- I can't wait to bring Kim back, and then get Roxas a girl. Drama, drama, DRAMA! But, high school's always filled with drama, so, I'm sure you know what's coming. Ha ha, everyone's favorite; Namine's dad will even be involved in drama. But… not till later, because Kim is first.

Here we go!

**Awards! **

****

Top reviewer of chapter 8 is: **sayshello3! **

2nd place: **mOOnlite-dUSk! **

3rd place: **Naminecrys4riku! **

**The sneak peak I sent all the reviewers **

****

Heh, to keep it interesting I sent you all a different piece of that scene! I hope ya'll enjoyed it! P.s. If you didn't get the review reply I sent it in, the site is having problems with the e-mail system again. It'll probably be sent to you in a week or less.

****

**About Namine's CRAZY dad! **

Ha ha, I remember a reviewer saying earlier Namines dad is A lot like Dymix. And guess what- that's who I modeled him after! Dymix is one of my favorite characters, so I wanted to model Namine's dad after him. Just for laughs.

**About me! **

****

-dances- I'm that much closer to beating ff10! WHOO! And… (bad news) One of my friends is having a rough time. Currently, her and I are NOT friends. NOT talking, NOT speaking. Still, I hope she'll be okay. (p.s. It's not Kim)

**BYE! **

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I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving! I did! See ya'll in the next chapter! Remember, it's still 8 reviews or a 3 week wait for a new chapter.

TURKEY! –Cracker-jacks000 


	10. Instant Fame

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the reviews! XD I feel inspired :D If you can tell, I'm in a VERY good mood. XD I can't wait to start writing about school starting. I'm happy I'm getting to try something new. And… I'm soon FINALLY going to get Roxas wrapped up in the drama too. So.. Here we go!

**Naminecrys4riku… **_Thanks so much! I'm thrilled to hear you liked the sneak peak! XD I've been writing scenes with Roxas and the girl all over the place. They're all going to be sitting around doing nothing till I get to that point in the story though. –__sigh__- My friends are reading them as I go to make sure they're perfect. Lots and lots of fluff! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_heh__heh__, for thanksgiving, I ate and well… __Wrote stuff.__ Yeah, he was modeled after __Dymix__, because he's my favorite organization 13 member. BTW: I was thinking about writing a bunch of one shots all in one story about what Organization 13 does during their free time. XD It's supposed to be funny. Lend me your thoughts. XD I'm glad that you liked the way Sora acted in that chapter. I did too. Have a great week! _

**Oath ****Of**** Oblivion 0…** _OOOOOOOHHH… That's where you went. :D Well, I'm glad you're back. Sorry about getting grounded. L I was grounded for a while JUST before I started Another Story 2. It sucks, huh? __Anywho__, I'd like to thank you for visiting my site a while ago! It made me happy! Have a great week! _

**Sayshello3… **_Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Your reviews ALWAYS make me sequel with joy! Thanks for saying I'm a good author. XD I feel so… so happy! And no problem about the top reviewer thing, you deserved it! _

**Volume-5… **_Yay__! Thanks for the comment. Like, several other people said it was a fun chapter too! Thanks a bunch! Yeah, it was kinda a long chapter, I couldn't remember half of it ether. –__falls__ over- it took ALL WEEL to write that. 4,500 something words or something like that. It's okay about you not reviewing earlier, I don't blame you. The e-mailing system is being retarded again. Well, have a great week! _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_Heh__, thanks for the effort you made to review every chapter you missed! __–even if it was all the same thing.__ –__laughs__- nice grades! My best subject is __math,__ and gym if that counts. Have a great week! _

**Hotaru89… **_Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it! _

**mOOnlite-dUSk****… **_Yeah, I prefer __RoxasxNamine__ too, __buuuuuuutttt__… I wanted to try something new and TOTALLY out of the blue for this story when I started, and Riku and Namine just popped up in my head. And, I like writing about them so much because since it's my story, I can make them as OOC as I want. XD It's wonderful to write about them as if they actually acted like this. But, Roxas and Namine are still my favorite (well, __sora__ and Kairi are my top favorite, but Roxas and Namine are 2nd). Oh, and the mystery girl isn't Namine, I couldn't take her away from Riku. It's somebody else. But you can keep guessing if you like- I don't mind. I'm glad you liked the chapter! _

**Katchi****… **_Yeah, the chapter WAS rather long. But I really wanted to end lass Vegas on chapter 9 so I went all-out. And I wasn't planning on actually doing the limo crash, but I just added it, just __cuz__. I'm glad you liked the chapter and the fluff! _

p.s. WHOO! I'm on chapter 10! And 80+ reviews too! Thanks a bunch everyone!

**CHAPTER 10! **

_**The rest of the day went pretty much normal, besides everyone's rush to get everything finished before school started the very next day. Kairi was given crutches, so she could **__**move around with her leg being like this, and was driven home by her parents, who assured her friends **__**Kairi**__** would be at school the next day. **_

_**School… Oh, that word sounded horrible. And sure enough, with all the things about to happen this next year, it was going to be another **__**loooooooooooooong**__** 12 months. **_

_**And they didn't even know what was coming. **_

"Namine!" Namine's dad danced into her room and switched on the light, singing as he went, "The first day of school is here!"

"hm…" Namine mumbled through the blanket as she covered her head to shield the light.

"Come on now," Her dad huffed, shaking his daughter back and fourth, "It's your first day in the eleventh grade!"

"I don't care," Namine turned over in the bed, facing away from him, "Schools just school anyways."

"Get UP!" Her father commanded.

"Alright, fine." Namine sat up and rubbed her eyes, and then pushed her father out of the way as she got up, "Just leave my room, okay?"

"Deal." Her father smiled, nodded, and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"And don't come back!" Namine called out for him. She could hear him laughing as he walked down the stairs.

Namine then brushed her hair and teeth, got dressed, got her things for school together, the usual stuff people do when getting ready to go to school.

Oh, but much to her dismay, she couldn't just wear her own clothes, there was _school uniforms. _

She had to show up at school in a white dress shirt, a platinum tie and skirt, knee high blue socks, and dress shoes. _Great… _

At her old school they'd let her wear whatever she felt like wearing. But since they now lived in destiny islands, well, there were some new rules. But, she _was _happy she only had 6 class periods now, instead of 7. That had to count for something. And, another thing was she had friends this year. That counted for a lot.

Soon after her dad had left the room, she was ready to leave and headed downstairs to eat something before she left. She said goodbye to her dad, grabbed a piece of toast, and left the house a half an hour before the bell would ring for school.

She stopped By Kairi's house and the two walked to school together. Well, Kairi used her crutches to help her walk but other then that everything way pretty much normal.

Soon they reached a large building, with a parking lot to the side and a HUGE field behind the building. The building was big itself, and about 2 stories tall. In front of the school was a large fountain and lots of grass with pathways leading to the doors of the school.

"Wow." Namine admired as the two stopped right in front of the school. She'd seen it before, but… never really took the time to admire it.

Kairi made her way in front of her and smiled widely, "Welcome to Destiny High!"

**000 **

The two girls had just entered the building and walked into the large, main area of the school. In front of them was a large, double stair case and to the left was the office. On the far right was another stair case identical to the first one and a few classes next to it. There were hallways going everywhere and next to the second stair case was a large student area with couches and tables everywhere for lounging or doing homework. Next to the large area was another rather big hallway leading to the lunch room which was HUGE and had tables already arranged everywhere. There was two large counters on both sides of the lunch room (where the food was supposed to go) and the floor was tiled. Other then the bathrooms and the lunch room floor, the rest of the school was carpeted.

"This place is nice!" Namine stared in awe, looking from side to side at passing by students and the details of the school.

"There are also some other student lounge rooms much smaller than this one down that hallway," Kairi pointed to a hallway next to the second stair case, "Just in case someone wanted piece and quiet from the crowds of people."

"Oh." Namine nodded, and then looked around some more, reaching the center of the large student area and staring down several hallways that were connected to the main area.

"So…" Namine looked at kairi, "Where would the lockers be?"

"Locker numbers 1-120 are over there by the office," She pointed behind them, "And the rest are upstairs. Too many of them to count."

"And where are all of the classes?" Namine asked, giving Kairi her schedule for the day, with her lunch number on it, her locker number, and all of her classes in order.

"Well," Kairi started," There are some classes down here in that wall over there next to the stair case, and then all of the main classes are upstairs. That's all the higher floor is really used for, besides the lockers and the few activity rooms. Most of the other activities are down on the main floor. The one we're on."

"Do we have any classes together?" Namine asked.

Kairi pulled out her own schedule and compared them, "We've got first period English together, the same lunch, and fifth period Math together."

"That's it?" Namine asked, looking a bit disappointed.

"Yeah… But you've got almost every class with Riku." Kairi informed.

"How would you know that?" Namine cocked an eyebrow.

"I checked on the school website last night." Kairi told.

"Oh." Namine thought for a moment.

"Anyways," Kairi shook her head and gave Namine back her schedule and put hers away, "I've got to go to the office till the bell rings. My mom called them last night and told them I broke my leg, so I have to stay there and listen to them talk. They're supposed to tell me how to get to my classes."

"Alright, I'll wait here for the others." Namine told, and then waved at Kairi as she left.

"Tell Sora I said I'll see him in second period, Okay?" Kairi asked.

"Okay." Namine nodded and then watched as Kairi smiled and left. When she was out of sight, Namine sat down on a free couch and waited. Soon, there was only 5 minutes left before the bell was going to ring and still no sign of her boyfriend or her other friends.

She sighed and got up again, figuring she'd just go take a first look at her class rooms before school officially started, but was stopped by a voice behind her.

"Namine!" The voice rang.

"Riku?" She turned around to face her boyfriend, and he smiled.

"It took forever to find you!" He breathed, "With everyone dressed the same It was almost impossible!"

"You were already here?" Namine questioned.

"Yeah, I was in the smaller student lounges with Sora and the other guys. Olette and Selphie are hanging out with Yuffie and Leon upstairs by the lockers and only god knows where Kairi is."

"She's in the office." Kairi pointed to the far end of the room at a girl with red hair being dragged around by the principal.

Riku slapped his forehead, "Of course, that's where she'd be."

"Kairi told me that we had almost every class together." Namine smiled widely at him.

"We actually have every class together. Not almost." Riku laughed.

"Wow." Namine thought for a moment. It may have been just her, but it seemed like Her and Riku were almost always together now. At camp, she had the same dorm room as him, she also moved next to him, and now they have all the same classes. There was only one word she could use to describe off all this: _weird. _

"Are… you okay?" Riku leaned over so he'd be looking up at her face. She only stared off into space blankly.

"You-who! Namine." He waved a hand in front of her face slowly, cocking an eye brow in the process when she still didn't respond.

"We need you back on Earth, Namine." Riku shook her shoulders a little bit, getting her to snap out of the trance and look at him.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Never mind." Riku ignored it and pointed towards the second stair case in front of them, "Class starts in 2 minutes. Do you want me to show you where are first class is?" He questioned.

Namine nodded, "Yeah…" She sighed deeply, "I'd get lost if I tried to figure this place out by myself."

"Don't worry," He assured, "So long as you're with me you'll be fine."

"I know I will." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Uh…" He looked away and smiled to himself, "Anyways… Well, I'll show you your locker first, okay?"

"Okay." Namine agreed.

Riku then grabbed her hand and the two walked casually up the stars, hand-in-hand. Namine enjoyed holding hands with him, but… She couldn't help all of the girls she walked by giving her death glares and whispering to one another.

So, she leaned over closer to Riku as they reached the top of the stairs and down a hall filled with lockers and students practicing combinations, "Riku?" She whispered, getting his attention and he turned his head towards her.

"Hm?" He inquired.

"Do I have something on my face?" She asked, pointing to at her face, a worried expression on her features.

He laughed at her, "No." He whispered back.

"Then…" She pointed at the girls around them, still glaring and hissing, "Why do they look angry at me?"

Riku laughed out load, "Because you're prettier then they are?"

"True." Namine agreed with him, "But I doubt _that's_ why."

He shrugged, "Well, if that's not it then I dunno."

"Oh…" Namine looked around the area again at more scowling girls, "Are you _sure_ you don't know?"

"Why don't you ask them what's wrong?" He looked back down at her again.

"I wouldn't feel safe," Namine squeezed his hand, "They look like the want to shoot me."

"Then ask Kairi later," Riku suggested, all though he really knew the answer, just didn't plan on telling her, "She knows _everyone_."

Namine frowned, "Are they going to look at me like this all day?"

"They did the same thing when I was dating Kim." Riku gave her a hint, but she looked even more confused then ever.

"I still don't get it." Namine shook her head at him, "Did they have something against her too?"

Riku laughed even harder, "Just ask Kairi and the other girls at lunch, okay?"

"Fine." Namine whined, and then they finally reached locker number 893.

Riku let go of her hand and showed her how to open her locker, since she'd never used one before. Her other schools weren't exactly as _fancy_ as this one. Or, well organized. It was a mad house at her old school.

"Got it?" He asked her when her locker finally opened after her fifth try.

"I think." Namine crammed the stuff she didn't need till the end of the day in her locker, and then closed it, "I think I'd rather just bring my back pack from class to class like where I used to live."

"That'd get annoying," Riku started, looking sick and rubbing his shoulders, as if they felt the pain of carrying his back pack around all day, "For me at least."

"So… Where's our first class?" Namine changed the subject, seeing as the bell would ring any second now."

"That way!" Riku pointed down the hall way and walked her to class #75: Mss. Brosmore's English class.

Riku walked her into the crowded class room where students were still hanging out 5 to a desk, talking and talking and talking. A bunch of preps were sitting on the window ledge in the back of the room comparing new cloths while the nerds were all the way in the front of the class room. The Emo/Goth looking teens hid in the back of the room and everyone else just kinda did different things.

"You must be Namine." A feminine voice sang out, "Didn't you just move here?"

"Uh…" Kairi watched her new English Teacher approach her, "Yeah. I did."

"Nice to meet you." Miss. Brosmore held out a hand for her, resulting in Namine having to let go of Riku's hand, since her other hand had her books, and shake her teachers hand.

"Sit where ever you like." The teacher smiled sweetly, and then turned to Riku and frowned, "I see you've met the trouble maker."

"Trouble maker?" Namine smiled widely, covering her mouth and trying not to laugh, "What did he do?"

"Oh…" The teacher tapped a ruler against her hand, "_A lot of things_."

Riku scowled at her and took Namine by the hand, leading her closer to the back of the class room, "Well, I don't like you much ether."

The teacher looked _very _offended, "I'm sure we'll have fun this year, Riku." She watched him sit two rows up from the back and next to Namine, "I've got a lot of things planned for _you._"

"Don't think that I don't too. Because I don't mind making your life a living hell this year too." He smirked, resting his elbow on the table and holding his head up to look at her, seeming as though he were very bored.

The teacher frowned, and then sat down at her own desk in front of the room as the bell rang and everyone scattered to their desks.

"Does she have some kind on grudge against you?" Namine nudged his shoulder, questioning as though it was something she had to know.

"Uh…" Riku scratched the back of his head, "It's _complicated." _

"What did you do to make her so angry?" Namine asked a second question.

"I don't really remember," Riku told, "I just remember it being fun."

"You like ticking your teachers off?" Namine cocked an eyebrow.

"If the bitch wants to play, let her play." Riku laughed softly.

"I sure hope your not failing because of it." Namine picked up her pencil and tapped the desk with it.

"Nah. Olette makes sure we _all _have our homework done." Riku reassured, "She wouldn't allow me, or any of her friends for that matter, to drop out. But-"

"RIKU!" The teacher up front snapped, "You do realize class has started, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"

"No ma'am." Riku rolled his eyes and Namine laughed.

Class soon ended and so did 2nd period along with 3rd period. Before she knew it, Riku and she were headed down to the lunch room with Kairi and Sora.

"Ha ha," Sora laughed, "Roxas got into a fight with his math teacher first period. TWICE!"

Kairi rolled her eyes, "I watched these two flirt all first period." She pointed to Riku and Namine. Namine blushed and Riku smiled _REAL _wide.

"Roxas says that he's gonna get on the morning school news on the intercom and call the principal gay sometime within the next week." Sora laughed.

"Well, Roxas says a lot of things." Riku chuckled a little as they all headed down the stairs.

"What's the 'morning school news' thing about?" Namine asked.

"It starts tomorrow, and they just let some random people talk through it announcing everything. They're too lazy to do it themselves." Kairi explained.

"Oh." Namine nodded, "You think they'll trust Roxas with it?"

"Heh, no." Sora laughed, "No one smart would trust Roxas with power like that. He's just bound to do something insanely stupid. His skateboard isn't his only weapon, Y'know."

"I'm sure he comes up with lots of things." Namine shook her head and laughed, "So what's for lunch?"

"Food." Sora shrugged, "I didn't feel like checking."

"Lazy bum." Kairi teased, pushing him lightly. He laughed and pushed her lightly back.

Riku sighed and quickened his pace, grabbing Namine's hand and dragging her along with him, "I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, whatever." The two continued to go at it.

"They're still glaring." Namine shuddered.

"Ah. They're just jealous of you." Riku finally just answered her question.

"I doubt it." Namine ignored him.

He slapped his forehead, "alright, you believe what you want."

"Why would they be jealous?" Namine asked.

"Just ask Kairi later. She knows everything." Riku instructed.

"Fine." Namine huffed.

"So…" What're you going to do after school?" Riku asked.

"Whatever Kairi and the girls are doing, I guess." Namine shrugged.

"Figures." Riku sighed, "Roxas and Hayner want me to come to twighlight town with them today. Blitz ball starts tomorrow, and they claim they need more practice, so they're using me as a goalie."

"Oh." Namine giggled, "Are you joining blitz ball too?"

"Yeah, I guess. All the guys and I do every year anyways. Even if I didn't want to they'd force me." Riku sighed deeper, "Are you joining anything?"

"Well…" Kairi thought for a moment, "Depends. Kairi said she's going to cheerlead again, if they let her after her leg heals, but I'd prefer joining something like volleyball."

"I see." Riku nodded, "Well, I guess I'll see you in 4th period. Roxas and I are going over the blitz ball rules and guidelines again." He rolled his eyes, "He's determined to be the star player again this year. He's been best on the team for years."

Namine laughed, "Well, I'll see you then!"

"Bye," He let go of her hand and waved.

"What'cha doen'?" Selphie jumped out of no where and asked.

"I don't know anymore. I'm not hungry." Namine frowned, "And Roxas took Riku from me."

Selphie laughed, "I'm not hungry ether. You wanna talk for a while?"

Namine shrugged, "Eh, why not?"

"Yay!" Selphie exclaimed and dragged her off to one of the quieter, smaller student lounges. They reached a door that said student lounge #4 and entered, sitting down on one of the couches that surrounded the table in the middle.

"So… What's up?" Selphie questioned.

"All my teachers like me so far." Namine shrugged, "and… Most of them hate Riku."

Selphie laughed, "Typical."

"And, all these girl keep glaring at me. It's like they hate me deeply. What'd I ever do?" Namine pouted, crossing her arms on the table and hiding her face.

"You dated Riku, that's what." Kairi told, sitting down next to Selphie and laying her crutches down next to her.

"What's Riku have to do with this?" Namine questioned, cocking an eyebrow at the same time.

"He's only one of the most popular guys in the school- believe it or not." Selphie laughed, "You've taken him and now they all hate you."

"I still don't get it." Namine sighed. At her old school, there was no such thing as 'popular' students. Everyone was pretty much equal.

Kairi sighed deeply, "Okay, let me start off as simple as possible. Roxas, Hayner, Sora, and Riku -our friends- are very high in status here at Destiny High because of their looks and skills in Blitz Ball, therefore, most of the girls in our schools favorite thing to do is drool over them. Now, since you're dating Riku, they are obviously going to hate you for taking their eye candy for yourself."

"So I'm a bad person now?" Namine whined.

Kairi only sighed deeper, "No... They're just very jealous. Um.. How do I say this?- since you're dating one of the most popular guys in the school, that kinda gives you... advantages and disadvantages. In other words-"

"Instant fame." Selphie laughed, cutting her friend off.

"Well, they don't hate Kairi." Namine continued to pout.

"That's because Kairi's already friends with everyone. She's like a mage-prep!" Selphie laughed harder.

"You're just jealous I have so many friends!" Kairi crossed her arms and huffed.

"Am not!" Selphie defended.

"Are to!" Kairi pressed.

"Oh…" Namine palmed her forehead and sighed miserably.

After the rest of the school day was over, Riku walked Namine to her locker before he left with Roxas in a few minutes.

"Are you getting the hang of it?" Riku watched as she struggled to open her locker.

"It's…" Namine frowned, "Getting a _little_ easier."

"Here," Riku's leaned over her and set his hands on top of hers, dialing the combo slowly while directing her fingers, "There." He said when the locker opened and he stepped back again so she could grab her stuff.

"Thanks." Namine smiled at him wide, but then scowled when she heard more hissing and whispering behind her from the other girls. She turned around quickly and yelled at the top of her lungs, "WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!?"

Everything got quiet for a few moments, and then the whispering and scowling of the jealous girls continued.

"Yelling isn't going to make them leave you alone." Riku pointed out.

"Yeah, well I can try." Namine shoved her books into her back pack, flung it over her shoulder, and slammed the locker shut.

"They'll move on once they realize it's hopeless," Riku started, "But if you show them it's bothering you, they'll keep it up."

"I can take care of myself." Namine continued to glare as they started to walk down the hall way.

"Making them even more jealous might make them go away too." Riku suggested, Namine fully aware of where he was going with this, but she asked anyways.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Namine questioned.

"Wait till they're all watching." Riku snickered evilly.

"They already are." Namine looked around the area and back up at Riku.

Riku smiled _real _wide and then stopped in the middle of the hall way, making sure all the obsessed girls were watching, and then grabbing Namine's face, tilting her chin with his fingers and pressing his lips against hers.

And then he pulled away after he heard the instant gasps and screams of the crazy fan girls.

They al walked off, shooting death glares at Namine as they walked past, the both of them just smirking.

"And there they go! See, I told you!" Riku laughed.

She clung to his arm, "Ah! You just wanted the kiss."

"Bingo!" Riku smiled even wider, and Namine laughed at him.

So the first week of school went on, and soon was over. Namine finally got used to her classes, and didn't need Riku to show her around anymore, but he did often anyways. The obsessed girls started leaving her alone, although a few of them still seemed to be stalking her. _weird_And All the guys made the blitz ball team again. Kairi was guarantied she'd get to join cheerleading again after January when her leg was healed, and Namine even got into Volleyball. Things were going great!

Well… That is… Until _She_showed up, a week before October.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: **Another rather long chapter. PHEW! And I kinda gave away what's coming next! XD I hope you enjoy the next chapter. (If I get 8 reviews) I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I don't know exactly when, because spy ware was just installed onto my computer and I have no clue what to do with it. And if I don't do something soon, it'll eat away at my files and updating will me that-much harder. So If you've got any helpful ideas that I could use to try to get the stupid Virus off, please help me. -.- I'm lost and nobody's helping me.

Anywho… **THE AWARDS **

Top reviewer of chapter 9 was:**kenshinroks2111**_Thanks for your effort to review all the chapters you missed!_

2nd place:**chefbekah1304**

3rd place: **Volume-5!**

**SOON TO COME **

Yeah, Kims in the next chapter and then Roxas gets a girl and blah-blah-blah. I don't want to repeat myself. But, something happens with Namine's dad that gets Namine really upset, and something also happens To Riku's brother or, his friends rather.

**THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS! **

You're all so great! Thanks so much for helping my reach 90+ reviews so fast! I LOVE YOU ALL!

**LATER! **

Well, I'm out of things to say at the moment. Have a great week!

:)- Cracker-jacks000


	11. Not again

**A/N: **WOW! I didn't think I'd get 9 reviews overnight the first day. WOW. Well, heh, my weeks been officially made! 100+ REVIEWS! WHOO! I'm in such a good mood, that when I reach 200 reviews again, I'm thinking about doing something special for ya'll. But…. The problem is, I have no idea what. If there's anything you'd like, give me some ideas and I'll think about it! You're all the best!

**Alpha Male… **_Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! It's funny, really. I expected that chapter to be "Meh" as in "Okay." And you said it was the best one! Lol, I hade a laugh attack. And… I made it longer than usual too! I guess I just had a little **extra** time to add a little **extra**. Thank so much for the review! _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_Yeah, I 'might' make Roxas call the principal gay or something over the intercom. 'might.' But the Roxas+ mystery girl fluff isn't for a while. But the mystery girls coming REAL soon. –laughs- Trust me, you'll be blown away! It won't be what you're expecting, but just go with it. And the virus went away. I just had to re-store my computer. _

**Oath Of Oblivion 0… **_ Yep, -laughs- IT'S KIM! Lol, that was funny! One of my friends, the one that NEVER laughs, couldn't stop laughing when she read it. You totally made my day. XD and hers. Yeah, Namine isn't too happy when Kim's back. It's not one of her happiest days. _

**Hotaru89… **_ XD Yeah, scary fan girls! Roxas and Sora have quiet a few too. Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked the chapter! _

**Riku's no.1 fangirl… **_I got the virus off, just had to re-store my computer is all. YAY! I'm happy you're still liking my story! I feel blessed! Heh heh, scary fan girls. XD I just HAD to add that to the story. They get in the way a whole lot. _

**Katchi… **_yay! 100+ reviews! WHOO! –throws a party- You were reviewer number… 199. THANK YOU! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Kim's back! ( Reno and Axel will be too shortly.) _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_You deserved top reviewer for all your effort! No need to say thank you. I should be thanking you. I'm so glad you like my story a lot! Even more of a reason to update! And guess-what guess-what guess-what!? You're reviewer number 100! YAY! Thanks so much! Have a great weekend! _

**Volume-5… **_Don't worry, Roxas'll NEVER BE A PREP! You're right, he's just too darn emo. Buuuuut, since he's a star player on the blitz ball team and is REALLY hot You'd figure he'd be just a little popular. Well, it's complicated. He's not the average 'popular' kid, he kinda goes both ways. _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_No, Sora is my favorite character. :D but good guess. I just wanted to try something a bit different for this story. And don't worry, I'm thinking really hard on what to do next for Sora and Kairi. REAL hard. XD Maybe another romantic-like date. Give me your thoughts! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_Don't worry, I got rid of the stupid Virus. System re-store works very nicely. :D I 'might' do the intercom thing with Roxas. I'm still thinking about it. Meh, maybe I'll put it in this chapter. Maybe. YAY! Drama! And now, everyone gets to learn a little more about my OC Kim. I'm super excited. But, she won't be gone for a long while. In fact, I'm thinking about keeping her the whole story. She'll add lots of drama! If you beg me I might tell you more! XD shhhhhhh! _

**Sayshello3… **_Thank you! Good news, I got rid of the virus! YAY! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks a bunch for the review! _

P.S. Mystery Girl will be here mighty soon! Promise! –laughing in the background- MWA HAHA!

**CHAPTER 11 **

****

**_"And there they go! See, I told you!" Riku laughed. _**

**_She clung to his arm, "Ah! You just wanted the kiss." _**

**_"Bingo!" Riku smiled even wider, and Namine laughed at him. _**

**_So the first week of school went on, and soon was over. Namine finally got used to her classes, and didn't need Riku to show her around anymore, but he did often anyways. The obsessed girls started leaving her alone, although a few of them still seemed to be stalking her. weird. And All the guys made the blitz ball team again. Kairi was guarantied she'd get to join cheerleading again after January when her leg was healed, and Namine even got into Volleyball. Things were going great! _**

**_Well… That is… Until She showed up, a week before October. _**

**__**

"October's almost here," Namine started as Kairi and She walked down the road to school in the cool morning breeze, it still being 8 am in the morning, "Do you know what that means?"

"No, what?" Kairi asked, holding her books to her chest and breathing in deeply, taking a moment to wake up.

"It means we've been in school for almost a month now," Namine balked, "A whole month!"

"So?" Kairi cocked an eyebrow, "That's a good thing… How?"

Namine rolled her eyes, "Time just flies by too quickly, is all."

"I'm just glad my legs starting to feel better," Kairi started, "The damn crutches are driving me insane!"

"What're you doing this weekend?" Namine asked, "I'm thinking about having all of us stay the night at my house Saturday."

"Could you move it to Friday?" Kairi asked.

"Why?" Namine looked puzzled.

Kairi smiled brightly, excitement filling her features, "Sora's taking me on a date Saturday night."

"Good for you!" Namine congratulated her, "But how're you going to get anywhere with a broken leg?"

"Sora said he'll carry me if he has to, he really wants to take me out again." Kairi explained.

"Okay. I'll just move it to Friday." Namine said.

"Thanks."

"Where's Sora taking you?" Namine questioned.

"I don't know; he wouldn't tell me." Kairi laughed, "What about Riku? Are you two planning on doing anything soon?"

"I don't know…" Namine sighed, "I barely ever see him at all anymore. I don't see him in the mornings because he's on the field with Roxas playing **_blitz ball_**, and during school we can't talk because, well, it's school. After school, if he's not still playing **_blitz ball_** he's at home studying so he can stay on the team and play even more **_blitz ball_**. He never has any time for me anymore, and I doubt he ever will."

"I warned you." Kairi started, and paused for a moment before continuing, "He's a really competitive person."

"I noticed." Namine sighed even deeper.

"Don't worry," Kairi said, "Knowing him, he'll make time for you sooner or later."

"He wont even answer the phone any more, none the less the door." Namine seemed annoyed at this point, "It's like he's obsessed with avoiding me at all costs. Hw wouldn't want me getting in his way, now would he?"

"Don't worry about it," Kairi started, "We've got Thursday and Friday off this week, remember? And there's no blitz ball planned at the school ether, so try talking to him then."

"I don't even wanna try getting his attention anymore, if he's so damn busy well, let him be busy. See if I care."

Kairi laughed a little, and they continued on their way to Destiny High, entering the doors and into the warm building; making their way around crowds of busy students and into the student lounges.

"Kairi!" A voice from behind sounded, getting both their attention.

"Hm?" Kairi hummed, facing Olette and Selphie who were headed for them.

"What's up?" Namine questioned.

"The boys want us outside on the field." Olette informed.

"They said it was REALLY important!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Blitz ball?" Namine questioned in a bored tone.

"Uh-huh." They both nodded.

"Tell them I was un-interested." Namine huffed and began walking off again.

"Whatever." Selphie shrugged and they headed back outside as Namine began making her way up to first period.

As Namine reached class, discovering school wasn't about to start for another 20 minutes. Knowing her first period class had a good view of the blitz ball field from the window, she sat down at the desk closest to the window and watched Her boyfriend and other friends assemble on the field while Roxas was throwing his hands in the air, looking quiet exited, and she suddenly didn't want to watch anymore when she saw Riku look back at the school. She looked away and moved, feeling sick to her stomach even thinking about him. If he was just going to ignore her for a month, well, two could play at that game.

**000 **

"Okay," Roxas started, sounding overly excited and breathing heavily, "Here's the great news!"

The girls listened carefully and the other guys sat and watched.

"If our team remains un beatable for another moth and a half, we're going to the Bahamas for the blitz ball Olympics in the middle of January!" Roxas threw his hands into the air, smiling like a giant idiot and the rest of the guys smirked.

"You just have to let us practice hard core for a few more weeks and then we promise we'll have more time to hang out again." Sora explained.

"I know we've been… _A little _busy lately." Riku sighed, "So, where's Namine? Did she stay home today?"

"No," Selphie frowned, "She looked sad, and then said she wasn't interested and walked away."

"She hasn't been the happiest person lately, if you've even noticed. Or is it just to hard to notice your own girlfriend when you're so caught up in your game?" Kairi scowled at him.

"What're you talking about?" Riku was taken back, "I'm with her all the time?"

"Name the last time you took a side some time to even talk to her." Kairi folded her arms and looked him in the face fiercely, waiting for a reply from mister know-it-all.

"Well I-"He thought for a moment, "Well… You see…."

"Exactly," Kairi only pushed it further, "You don't _remember_."

"Is Namine okay?" Roxas and Sora asked while Riku thought for a moment longer.

"I don't know." Kairi told, "I just know she misses Riku. A lot.."

"Ah, Damn…" Riku slapped his forehead, "I'm sorry."

"Tell it to her, Dumb ass." Selphie joined Kairi.

"God, I'm stupid." Riku began to gather his things together and threw his backpack over his shoulders, "I'll see you all later." And then he began walking back inside, but was stopped in his tracks when a familiar car caught the corner of his eyes.

Everyone caught up with him and stood next to Riku, staring out into the parking lot.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked.

"Isn't that…" Riku eyes the little black, but fancy looking car suspiciously.

"It seems familiar," Sora started, also staring at the car, "I wonder why…"

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kairi started, "A _really_ bad feeling."

"Why?" Selphie asked, her happy expression wavering and turning into a curious look.

"I think I know whose car that is." Kairi bit her bottom lip. Her bad feelings were usually right.

"Don't tell me it's-"Before Riku could finish the car pulled up in front of them and stopped, making his blood run cold. Ice cold.

The car door slowly opened, revealing a girl their age with long brownish-blackish hair and piercing eyes. She stood up, not wearing the school uniform but instead a black skirt that went down to her knees and a light dark colored sweater and some long boots.

"I know who that is…" Sora shuddered.

"It's…" Hayner didn't even wanna say her name. He just wouldn't believe it.

The tall, _very _good-looking girl took off her sunglasses, showing off her steely silver eyes.

Riku gasped.

_Oh god no… _

_Not now, not here… _

_Not happening. Not happening. Not happening. _

Namine defiantly wasn't going to be happy when she found out you-know-who was back again. And she looked twice as mean this time.

"Who's that?" Roxas pointed to the girl now headed their way.

Riku swallowed.

**_"Kim…" _**

**__**

**000 **

Namine looked at the clock again after a while. School was about to start in 5 minutes and her friends still had yet to show up. What was taking so long?

She fought the urge to get up and go find them. She still didn't have the strength to even look at Riku yet. It seemed as though he were avoiding her on purpose. If he was really concerned, he would've come and gotten her by now.

"Namine…?" Ms. Brosmore got up from her seat to check on the lonely, blue-eyed girl, "Are you okay?"

Namine looked up at her from the desk, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" The teacher questioned.

Namine nodded and got up, "I think I'm going to leave for a minute or two."

"Okay." The teacher watched her leave, and then continued to her own work; sorting papers, grading, planning the day and such.

Namine made her way back down to the lower level of the school and pushed her way through a few crowds of students. She headed towards the office and turned right and down the large hallway that led to the doors of the school. She just wanted to see what they were doing, and what was taking so long. But she was stopped by a shady figure in the distance.

**000 **

"Wonderful," the sound of Kims voice made them freeze completely (besides Roxas, who has no idea what's going on.), "You're all here."

"What're you doing here?" Kairi scowled.

"I thought you transferred." Riku scowled with her.

_Wow… She's really hot…_ Was all Roxas was thinking at the moment.

"I did transfer," Kim stated, "But I'm coming back. Just for you, Riku."

She began to walk further towards them, her long hair waving behind her as she walked.

"Tell me, where's Namine?" Kim asked as she stopped in front of Riku, a little too close for comfort, "I still have a score to settle with _her." _

_Namine… _Riku thought for a moment, "You know what? I don't have time for this, I've got something I need to do."

But before Riku could get anywhere she grabbed his arm and yanked him closer to her, just to where her face was only inches from hers and she began to talk very slowly, in hushed tones, "Don't think that Bitch isn't gonna pay. You're mine."

"As if." Riku pushed her away and ran off in the other direction, "dating you was a mistake."

Kim laughed, "You still don't get it, do you?"

Riku stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, "huh?"

"I'm going to do everything I can to get what I want. Don't think I won't kill her if I have to."

Roxas stared wide eyes at the two, "Wait… What?" He was even more confused than before.

"You'll stay far, _far_ away from her." Riku barked, giving Kim an eye that would even make her flinch.

"I'll do what I want, Riku." Kim shot him the same eye, "Anything to-get-what-I-want."

Riku ignored her and ran inside of the building while Kim watched, putting her hand on her hip and smirking.

"So… You are?" Roxas pocked at her.

Kim grabbed his wrist and twisted it, "_Don't touch me_."

"Ouch!" Roxas pulled away, "What was that for?"

She huffed and followed Riku inside.

"You'd be safe if you stayed away from her." Sora shuddered, "She broke my arm once, Y'know."

"I'm still confused." Roxas sighed. He wasn't usually the person to notice things much.

"Okay," Hayner started, "Kim is Riku's jealous ex-girlfriend."

"He'd date that mean bitch?" Roxas looked back at the girl who was just not entering the building and back at Hayner.

"And she's outraged that Riku's dating another girl. She still doesn't have the fact that he broke up with her in her head yet. She's stubborn and bitchy and WILL do anything for what she wants. And, at camp, remember when Namine got hurt badly and we lied to everyone, saying she just 'fell?'"

"Uh-huh." Roxas was following so far.

"Well, she didn't really fall. Kim was the one that put her in that condition. And trust us, she can do a lot worse."

"Wait… She did that?" Roxas gasped. Namine was his friend, and that random girl hurt her. And knowing Roxas, he officially hated her. A lot, "That BITCH!"

Before any of them could stop him he stormed into that building so hard and fast he was gone within seconds.

"I'll make her pay." He mumbled under his breath.

**000 **

"Namine!" Riku's voice rang out.

Namine suddenly turned around and started walking back to her class. The figure in the distance was someone she didn't want to talk to at the moment.

"Wait!" Riku caught up with her and grabbed her shoulder, "This is important."

"Go away." Namine pushed him off of her and began walking again.

"You don't understand," Riku started, "I-"

"I don't understand?" Namine huffed, "You've been ignoring me for about a month now and you're telling me I'm wrong?"

"No, Namine listen Ki-" He was cut off again.

"Leave me alone." Namine scowled and began walking off again.

"Namine!" Riku grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him again, "Listen!"

"No!" Namine protested.

"Well well well." A feminine voice stopped the two of them,"Looks like I don't even have to do anything. You're already done with him, huh?"

Namine looked at another figure approaching them and gasped, "Kim?"

"Ready for more hell?" Kim hissed at her.

"Why didn't you tell me she was back?" She looked back up at Riku.

"I _tried." _ He sighed.

Kim took a few steps closer, "I'll be taking him now."

"And what force on Earth still makes you think he's yours?" Namine started, "Because he's not."

"Don't make me force you." Kim began, "Because I will use action. Is that what you want?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Namine walked closer to Kim with her fists clenched so hard her nails were digging into her palms.

"Are you ready to lose?" Kim only pressed her nerves further.

"Other way around." Namine scowled.

"You'll regret crossing me again." Kim took a fighting stance.

Namine completely ignored her and charged with so much force she knocked the both of them to the ground and pulled at her hair, while Kim struggled.

"Quit it!" Riku protested.

The girls ignored him and continued punching each other and pulling hair, rolling over on the ground several times to pin the other one down. But their fight was cut short.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Suddenly the principal was pulling the two of them apart and lifting them to the ground. But the two continued at it and Riku came to the principals aid, grabbing Namine and holding her back while the principal held Kim back.

"Damn it! She started it!" Kim yelled, trying to free herself from the principals grip, but the principal already knew what Kim was capable of.

"Take Namine back to class." The principal Ordered, and Riku nodded.

"NO!" Namine protested, "I'm not finished!" But Riku's strong arms carried her off anyways.

"The principal will take are of her." Riku informed.

"No no no!" Namine pounded against his chest as he picked her up and carried her up the stairs, "Let me finish!"

"No." Riku gave her a serious look, "Don't even think she's worth it."

"But I-"

"NO!"

Namine scowled at him, "You've avoided me for weeks! Why do you think I'm all of a sudden going to start listening to you again?!" Namine demanded.

"Because I love you!" Riku shut her up, "And I know all too well what Kim can do."

Namine blushed and looked down again as he continued carrying her to 1st period, since the bell was about to ring in a minute.

He sighed and set her down right in front of the door to English class, "I'm sorry. You're right; I should've made time for you."

Namine didn't say anything and only stared down at her feet.

"I'm an idiot, right?"

Still no reply.

"Please say something?"

Still… no reply.

"Namine?"

"Don't ignore me again." Namine bit her bottom lip.

Riku smiled at her warmly and the two stepping into the class and took their seats next to each other.

"Riku?" Namine asked, before class started.

"Hm?" He looked at her.

"I love you too."

Mrs. Brosmore eyed the two suspiciously.

"There's no school tomorrow." Riku said.

"I know." Namine started, "It's thanks giving tomorrow."

"Do you think your dad would let me steal you for a while?" Riku asked.

"Why not?" Namine smiled and the bell rang, signaling class had officially started, "I'll see you tomorrow then. "

**000 **

"Let… me… GO!" Kim had finally broken free of the principal's grip, "Where'd she go?"

"Hey, you!" Roxas had just walked up, "I've got something for you!"

"Hold on young ma-"

"Wait a minute!" Roxas cut him off, "I've got something I need to tell Kim."

"One thing." The principal sat back and watched.

"Hey, your Namine's friend," Kim hissed, "and the one that dared to poke at me."

Roxas clenched his right fist and punched her as hard as he could across her face getting silence all through the room, even from the few students that were watching.

Kim held her face, "WHY YOU!"

"ROXAS!" The principal yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Stay away from Namine," He demanded before running off in the direction for class.

But since it was Kim, the principal didn't run after him and just shrugged, "Eh, what can you do?"

Roxas had officially made Kim's hate list, right next to Namine. He'd pay right along with her.

_Roxas would pay for hitting her. _

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

**A/N: **I know, it's a little shorter than the last two chapters, I'm sorry. But I really wanted to update today since I FINALLY got the virus off. I'm in a super good mood! Thanks a bunch to the people who helped me out.

**THE AWARDS! **

Top reviewer of chapter 10 was…**Oath Of Oblivion !!! **_LMAO! That was hilarious!_

2nd place…**kenshinroks2111!!! **_Lol, I'm glad you're happy! _

3rd place…**mOOnlite-dUSk!! **_I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the review! _

**ABOUT ME! **

My stupid I-pod isn't working. TT damn it…

**SOON TO COME **

More drama! In more chapters, Kim begins to hate Roxas even more than she hates Namine. They fight A LOT in the story. If you have any questions, I don't mind answering them.

**ABOUT ROXAS'S FUTURE **

-dances- He gets a special relationship with a girl! WHOO! Again, if anyone has any questions I'll answer them. But the only question I won't answer is who the girl is. You'll be a bit shocked though while who he decides to start liking. XD And he doesn't even know it for a while!

**LATER! **

REMEMBER TO REVIEW! XD I'll update faster if you do.

p.s. If ya'll want me to send you more fluff from a different scene I will. (about Roxas and you-know-who!) I don't mind. I've written ahead A LOT!

Roxas and (name here)!!!! YAY! I'M SO EXCITED! –cracker-jacks000 


	12. Whip cream

**A/N: **Finally! I got Kim in the story again! –Nods- And I decided that she'll be here for a long time too. XD The real Kim's getting irritated again.

**Alpha Male… **_Heh heh, sorry about that. I got confused too. It's actually November, and about a week before December. Sorry for the mix up. Thanks for the review! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_XD I hope you liked the fluff! It's one of my favorites, in fact, one of the first scenes I thought up for the two. It has to do with Roxas's skateboard, I'll give you that. XD Thanks for the review! _

**Volume-5… **_We should both Teach Roxas a lesson (Roxas screaming in the background, NOO!) XD It's not the only time he hits her though. They're going to pick on each other a lot. A LOT. And surprisingly, Kim decides not to hurt him. XD there's even going to be a time when he tries to teach her how to play Blitz Ball. You have an I-pod too? What's your favorite song:D I defiantly think your story'll be as popular as mine sometime. Actually, when I first started this story I had no reviews! But I just kept updating and well, now I've got reviews. XD Your story started out better than mine did. Yes, you're still the only one who knows. _

**Metallicababy55… **_Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it! Roxas sticks up for all his friends. He's just… That kinda guy. _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_XD Kim won't be leaving for a long time. If not, she won't be leaving ever. We're stuck with her! XD She actually plays quite a large part in the story. You'll see. __L Yeah, I couldn't update Sunday, But I worked on the chapter a bit more. You never know, during winter break I 'just might' be able to update twice on weekends. YES! More drama. XD thanks for the review! _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_XD You'll see. Yes, there's lots more drama. I have yet to run out of ideas. Of course! When Riku was dating Kim Sora wanted to talk to Riku and she broke his arm. XD That's another reason why he broke up with her. _

**naminecrys4riku… **_XD No, Kim doesn't set Roxas up with anyone. Roxas kinda sets himself up! XD-unknowingly or course! He's got no idea until… well… you'll see. Yeah, I was squealing at the part where Riku told Namine he loved her. I had to put that in:D have a great weekend. _

**Katchi… **_Ha ha, intense chapter huh? XD Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! __L Kim isn't in this chapter though. –Shrugs- there'll be a lot of her while I'm on winter break though:D and Romance between Roxas and (name here!) _

**XxkunoichiXkh2fanxX… ** _XD Lol, poor Riku! Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter! XD I liked writing it. XD I can't wait to start writing about Roxas and (name here)!!!! A few people have already guessed who she is!! XD wow. Have a great weekend! _

**The Hot Guitar Playing Mena**-… _XD I'm sorry, I got sick with the flue! BLEH! But I hope you like this chapter:D enjoy!_

**Hotaru89… **_XD Yeah, Kim's evil! –grins evilly- MWA HAHA! Roxas and Kim fight a whole lot though the story –tee hee- you'll see. Have a great weekend! Oh, it's not Namine. She's Riku's. _

**SK-seeker… **_XD you guessed it! XD Yesh… It shall be fun! I've wrote up a bunch of stuff between them in advance. It's funny, let me tell ya. Especially the skateboard thing! (you'll see later) lol… You'll like it –I hope- Have a great weekend! _

**Sayshello3… **_Ah, you'll see. If the real Kim, or all people, likes it, I'm sure you will. Not giving away names but most people already guessed it. It's not SUPER romantic, more like toyish I-loath-you yet I-like-you oddish/ funny kind of Romance. It's not horrible. XD I hope you like this chapter! _

P.S. Sorry about the confusion in the last chapter. It's actually a week before December and it's November. Sorry!

****

**CHAPTER 12**

**__**

**_Kim held her face, "WHY YOU!" _**

**_"ROXAS!" The principal yelled at the top of his lungs. _**

**_"Stay away from Namine," He demanded before running off in the direction for class. _**

**_But since it was Kim, the principal didn't run after him and just shrugged, "Eh, what can you do?" _**

**_ Roxas had officially made Kim's hate list, right next to Namine. He'd pay right along with her. _**

**_Roxas would pay for hitting her. _**

The next day, November 23 (Thanksgiving day), Namine had decided to wake herself up. Even though there was no school today -or tomorrow- and she could easily get away with sleeping in. But, even to her amazement, she felt an urge to wake herself up, even before sunrise. And what was more; she didn't feel tired at all. Not one bit. In fact, she felt flooded with energy. Maybe it was yesterday's events that made her so restless, or she just didn't know.

What she did know was that she was awake, it was 5 am in the morning, and she had nothing to do. Not even her father, of all people, would dare to wake her up this early, and waking up her father for something to do was a risk she didn't want to take.

And then, just like anyone would expect, the thought entered her mind:

_Riku lived next door. _

It wouldn't even be an effort for her to get out of bed and climb though his window, which was conveniently close to the ground. And she still wasn't completely over him and the whole blitz ball thing, which pushed her further. _Payback. _

A devilish smile crept onto her features and she snickered evilly. It was almost too hard to decide what she should do to him. The classic whip-cream trick or taking a picture of him while he's sleeping; drooling on his pillow. Sora would be happy with her; Riku did the same thing to him at camp; although she was sure he forgot the picture somewhere.

She hastily crawled out of bed, slipping her feet into a pair of warm slippers, and grabbed a light sweater, followed by making her way down the hallway and down the stairs while sneaking past her father's room. Once she was on the bottom floor of the house, she dashed across the wooden floor, almost slipping on the slick surface. Making her way to the back door instead of the front, which was smart, she turned the golden knob and purposely left it unlocked when she closed it behind her.

Deciding not to climb the fence, to ward off any noise she might make, she rounded to the front of the house and went around the fence to Riku's front lawn and from there quietly tip-toed to the back yard. Smiling to herself, she slowly lifted Riku's unlocked window and swung both of her feet in, and then reached the ground without noise, leaving the window open for a quick escape -- if needed.

Then, much to her dismay, she realized she'd crawled into the wrong room.

This was His _brothers_ room. This room belonged to Kyle.

Surprisingly enough, she remembered his name.

But, oh, this was really bad. She was amused with his tossing and turning, along with the snoring but had to hold her laughter in. If she didn't get out, and soon, she'd be in trouble. She eyed the door across the room, past the sleeping Kyle, and frowned. It was closed. She hoped to god that it wasn't locked.

She made an effort to silently make her way across the room and over to the door, which was a success. But, again to her dismay, she was at a disadvantage. No, the door wasn't locked, but unlike Kyle's room the rest of the house had wooden floors; and the harder material of the bottom of her slippers would exactly keep her unheard.

Assuming she'd have to come back to get out of the house anyways, she took her slippers off at the doorway and set them down on the floor, then proceeding down the hall way with just her socks on her feet, she located Riku's door and entered quietly.

Shutting the door behind her she smiled widely when she spotted Riku; sound asleep as expected, on the other side of the room.

She hid the camera behind her back and got down on her hands and knees, walking cat-like over to his bed and peaking over the side. She examined Riku for something embarrassing she could take a picture of but nothing way to be found.

And, she was so excited to leave her house she forgot the whip-cream as a backup.

_Damn. _

That meant she'd have to raid his own kitchen for the whip-cream. So, she crawled back over to the other side and stood up again, quietly opening the door and walking into the hallway again. She rushed herself upstairs and into his kitchen, searching the cabinets and shelves for anything she could use.

And then, she heard the sound of lazy footsteps coming up the stairs and she automatically ducked, hiding on the floor behind one of the counters and peaked over the side to see who was coming.

She sighed in relief when she realized it was just a _cat_. A harmless, friendly little cat. Who'd a thought Riku was fond of the little felines? She almost wanted to pet the creature, and take it home with her.

But that wasn't the objective.

She continued searching and just as soon as the cat stopped and rubbed against her legs, she found whip-cream. She laughed mentally.

"Not now, kitty," Namine whispered in a hushed tone, "I've got something to take care of."

The cat meowed, catching Namine almost off guard and she shuddered.

"_SHHH!" _She ordered, actually covering the cat's tiny mouth with one of her fingers, "You'll wake him up!"

The cat bit her finger and then meowed again, even loader.

"Ouch!" Namine pulled back, almost taking a moment to hit the cat. She defiantly didn't want to take it home now.

To avoid any noise, she reached down to pick the cat up but the cat only moved farther away, on purpose.

Namine huffed, sneaking closer at another attempt to catch the pesky cat. They kept going on like this until she reached Riku's front door, and then the cat stopped and meowed again.

Namine wanted so bad to laugh, it was like the cat was trained how to tell her to GET OUT! But, since the cat had taken the time to stop, Namine leaped forward and caught the cat in her arms.

"Got'cha!" Namine teased, picking the squirmy little kitten and covering its head completely to avoid more meowing.

She made her way to a closet near the living room and stuffed the cat inside and shut the door tight. Namine barely took a moment to admire her work and then she was off to the bottom floor again, and into Riku's room.

Shutting the door behind her again, she crawled cat-like to Riku's bed and peaked over the side. Snickering evilly, she lifted the whip-cream can and got ready to spray.

"Take this!" She accidentally said out load. A little _too _load. Riku had just instantly woken up and moved out of the way so fast Namine had to think for a moment to figure out what just happened.

"Namine?" Riku eyed her, and the bottle of whip-cream.

"Damn!" Namine sighed. She wasn't concerned at all that Riku was awake and staring her down. She was more concerned with the fact that she'd missed. The whip-cream hit the pillow instead.

"What're you doing?" Riku took a moment to look at the clock, "its 5:30 am!"

Namine scowled at him, "What does it matter? I missed."

Riku, all of a sudden and out of the blue, began to laugh. It wasn't his usual laugh, no- it was the most insane, non-stop laugh she'd ever heard. It gave her a headache, "So that's how it is, huh?" he managed to ask between laughs.

"Hush!" Namine literally jumped on him and covered his mouth with both of her hands to shut him up, "I'm not supposed to be here!"

Riku ripped her hands from his face, "You think?"

"Shhhh!" Namine warned again, "Whisper!"

"Okay," Riku did as he was told and asked again, "You're here… why?"

"Hm? You're not happy to see me?" Namine forcefully changed the subject. She had the advantage since he was half asleep.

"No –I mean- I _am, _but –why?" Riku even confused himself.

Namine shook her head, "Doesn't matter. Now help me out of your window before my dad wakes up! I need to get home."

"_Alright…" _Riku nodded and opened the window for her and she hastily crawled out and wondered out of sight.

Riku then shut the window and sat down for a moment to gather his thoughts. He rubbed his eyes and yawned while in the thinking process, just before his older brother entered the room with a pair of slippers in hand.

"Dude," His sleepy brother started, "My window's wide open, your chicks' slippers were lying in the middle of the hallway, and the cat's locked in the closet," He stopped for a moment to make sure Riku was listening, "_What's going on?" _

"I'd like to know the same thing." Riku laughed faintly, and then his brother left, making sure to unlock the cat and close his window.

A few minutes later Riku could hear his brother shouting from the kitchen up stairs, "Where's my whip-cream!?"

**000 **

Later on, around noon, Namine gathered enough strength to go bother the girls instead. Riku wasn't coming over for another 5 hours (since her dad invited Riku and His brother to celebrate thanksgiving with them) so she didn't see any problem in going to see Kairi before said time.

She told where she'd be, grabbed her light sweater, and left for her friends' house. It was quite a ways father than Selphie's house or Soras, but she didn't mind the walk. She actually took the time to think. Think about school, about what she wanted to do while Kairi was on her date Saturday, when she should call the rest of the girls and invite them over Friday, so and so.

She'd also taken the time to look at her cell phone (which she also grabbed just before she left) and browsed through her missed calls and text messages. She laughed, Selphie had called her three times today to talk about the usual gossip, Riku called once to ask about when he should come over, Roxas called to ask if she'd loan him some money, and Olette called to ask about the homework that was assigned over the weekend.

She had one text message –from Kairi- that asked about how she was doing.

But, all of her spacing off almost caused her to walk right past Kairi's house.

She put her phone away and knocked on the door, happily greeted by Kairi's mother, who let her in and led her up to Kairi's room. Namine walked in and Kairi's mother shut the door behind them.

"What's up?" Was the first thing that came out of Kairi's mouth.

Namine smiled, "I got bored, thought I'd come see you." She sat down on the bed across from Kairi as she continued, "You busy?"

"Nope," Kairi laughed, "I was just about to call you! Sora was here a minute ago but left with Hayner, Wakka, and Tidus. They're visiting Axel and Reno today."

"Who are they? Axel and… Reno?" Namine cocked an eyebrow. In truth, she was actually amused by how their names sounded but kept on listening.

"They're our friends." Kairi started, and then giggled a little more, "They've been in Mexico for a while and just got back. But they're not going back to school till second semester. They live in twighlight town next to Pence."

"Are they brothers?" Namine gained interest in the subject.

Kairi laughed even more, "No, but they're best friends with Roxas and they've all known each other for like, forever. But Roxas didn't want to tag along with them to Mexico because he didn't want to miss out on blitz ball. Axel and Reno aren't to fond of the sport though."

"Oh," Namine said, "How come you didn't tell me about them before?"

Kairi shook her head, "I didn't really ever think about it."

"How long have they been gone? Is Roxas mad at them for leaving without him anyways?" Namine continued to question.

"Nah, Roxas took the time to hang out with Pence and Hayner. Axel and Reno have been gone for 2 and a half months. You'll probably see them some time during winter break!"

Namine smiled, "Sounds like fun!"

"Be careful though; Axel's a pyromaniac and Reno loves to make things explode." Kairi warned her, still laughing all at the same time, "They aren't safe to be alone with."

"Pyromaniac?" Namine began to laugh hysterically, like Riku had done earlier that morning.

"Don't ask." And then Kairi changed the subject, "Riku called me at 6 am today."

"Huh?" Namine stopped laughing, "F-for what?"

"He told me to tell you that you can have your slippers back." Kairi giggled softly.

Namine slapped her forehead, "Oh jeez, I'm forgetful."

"What happened?" Kairi inquired.

"I snuck in though his brother's window and tried to spray him with whip-cream," Namine shrugged, "He deserved it."

"Does Kyle know?" Kairi asked, "It's his house."

"I hope not," Namine laughed, "But I know Riku doesn't care. You should've seen the look on his face when he woke up and saw me there!" She laughed hard, "Priceless!"

Kairi laughed with her, "Too bad it didn't work! I would've helped you."

"It might've worked if I hadn't been so noisy," Namine sighed, "I couldn't help but yell before I sprayed anything."

"You should tell me more about it later, but right now, I need your help with something." Kairi said, starting to look a little nervous.

"Yeah, what?" Namine asked.

"I need you to help me pick something out for my date! I asked Sora but he suggested jeans and a sweater."

"Guys have no taste."

"So, will you help me?" Kairi repeated.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Thanks!" And whith that the two girls rummaged through her wardrobe for a while before Namine left for home again. After helping her dad in the kitchen for a while, she took a shower and got ready before Riku would show up at 5 pm. This time, she left her hair down but didn't put waves in it, and dressed just a little bit casual. She didn't feel like making an effort since it was obvious her father wasn't going to make an effort to look nice at all.

_Typical._

Guys really didn't have any taste at all. BLEH!

Namine made her way downstairs into the living room to wait for the door bell to ring, dressed in a pair of new jeans she'd bought the day previous, a fancy lacy-like blue shirt, and her hair was straightened. Good enough.

"I'll wait by the door!" Namine's father danced past her in a girly fashion, pushing her out of the way so he'd reach the door before her.

"_Dad! _I can do it myself!" Namine rushed after him, "Out of the way!" She pushed him back, and in turn he pushed her a second time. They went on and on like this, eventually pushing so hard they were about to fall down or slam into a wall, but the door bell rang. This caught Namine's dad's attention and she took the chance to fully push him out of the way and answer the door.

Her father crossed his arms and huffed, marching away like a grumpy old man.

"Riku!" She greeted, opening the door and pulling him inside. It was starting to get really cold out at night.

He smiled wide, "Hey."

"This way…" Namine lead him to the dining room and sat down next to him at the table, across from her father, and then Riku's brother sat across from them too next to Namine's father.

"What up?" Kyle asked guyishly.

"Uh…" Her father laughed at his slang, "Not much."

Soon, they began eating and close to the end of the meal they talked and laughed, also fighting over the last bits of turkey and joking around. Riku's brother, Kyle, left early to leave with his friends for a party half way past 8, and Namine and Riku left for upstairs about 9 pm while Namine's father was stuck doing dishes. He really withed Namine's mother was still around at that point; dishes weren't exactly his specialty. He broke half the dishes he tried to wash.

"So, what now? Do I have to go home?" Riku asked once they reached Namine's room and she closed the door behind them.

"No, you can stay as long as you want!" Namine assured.

Riku laughed, "Here, I want to show you something!"

"Hm?" Namine hummed before he grabbed her hand, opened her window and crawled out onto the roof with her, and all the way up to the very top of her house. Once there he sat her down and sat down next to her, his hand still holding hers, and began to explain.

"The starts are really bright this time of night, its fun to watch shooting starts, Y'know?"

"Riku…" Namine laughed softly, "I never knew you were a romantic."

"Uh…" Riku laughed, "My mom showed me when I was 5. It's…. cool, huh?" Riku avoided the word 'pretty'.

"Riku?"

"…"

"Thanks."

"For what?" He eyed her.

"Everything."

He laughed again, "No need to thank me." He then leaned back at little and looked up at the sky, and Namine leaned back a little too. It was a good 15 minutes before they said anything else.

"I think…" Namine started, catching Riku's attention and he looked down at her, "I think I actually might like living here."

Riku smiled sweetly, "Quit worrying so much," and then he smiled real wide, "If anything happens, I'll always be here."

"I know…" Namine laughed for a moment, and then gazed of into the distance, "It's just…"

"Hm?"

"Never mind," She shook her head, "It's not important."

"Still scared of Kim?" He wanted to laugh but kept a serious face.

"Scared?" Namine looked offended.

"Just ignore her." Riku started, "She's bound to give up sooner or later."

"I don't want to talk about Kim." Namine looked pained, "Just… Don't bring her up."

Riku looked up at the sky again, "Okay. How about you tell me something then."

"Yeah?" She questioned.

"How come you didn't tell me you thought I was ignoring you before?" He brought up the old subject from before.

Namine frowned, "I didn't think you'd even have the time to listen." She answered honestly.

"Okay," Riku started, taking a deep breath, determined to fix the problem so it'd never come up again, "I'll _always _have time for you. And I know I get distracted, and I can even be an idiot sometimes, but you should always tell me when something's wrong. Whatever it may be, I'll listen." He then smiled warmly at her, "I'll always be there for you."

Namine looked down at the tiling of th roof, running her fingers across the rough surface, not saying anything, letting the silence fill the area. While Namine browsed through her thoughts, the two listened to the sound of the ocean and the crickets while Riku continued to stare down at Namine.

She looked back up at him after a while and scooted closer, sitting up straight and closing her eyes for a moment. She opened them and leaned over him slightly, staring into his eyes as he smiled warmly at her.

"…I love you."

Namine then leaned into him and kissed him sweetly on the lips, squeezing his hand slightly and closing her eyes completely. He tilted his head and kissed her back, sighing peacefully against her lips.

He loved everything about her: Her smile, her laugh, _the way she tasted. _

Namine let go of his hand and softly wrapped her arms around him, leaning into him even further, savoring the moment as much as she could. This was the first time they'd kissed in what seemed like forever. She almost forgot how his lips felt against hers.

Riku returned the embrace and wrapped his strong arms all the way around her fragile body. Deepening the kiss a little bit more, he moved his lips with hers tenderly, playing with little strands of her hair that reached down her back. He wished holding her like this would last forever. It's all her really wanted.

**…:::… **

_"I love you too." _

**…:::… **

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

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**A/N: **Thanks to all the people who reviewed the last chapter!!!! I'm sooo sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I was sick with the flue. L Not fun. :D But I'm better now! YAY!

The Awards! 

Top reviewer of chapter 11 was:** XxkunoichiXkh2fanxX!**

2nd place: **Volume-5! **

3rd place: **Kenshinroks2111! **

New- (XD yes, I added another!) 4th place: **mOOnlite-dUSk! **

GUESS WHAT! 

XD I'm learning how to speak Japanese fluently! It's actually pretty fun learning with Kim and Breanna. XD We walked around the mall yesterday talking Japanese just to see the kinds of looks we'd get.

SORRY ABOUT THE LATE UPDATE! 

I was sick with the flue!! EEK! But I'm back:D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I raced to get it done by Friday.

BUH-BYE! 

Don't forget to review!

I'm Outa here! –Cracker-Jacks000 


	13. Sleep Over

**A/N: **Thank you for all the wonderful reviews:D I appreciate it! And I also can't wait till winter break. I'll be able to update a whole bunch! XD Have a great week!

**Alpha Male… **_:D Did I update soon enough for you? XD I hope so. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Have an awesome week! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. FINALLY some fluff for Riku and Namine. Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it! _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_Yeah, I know what Kawii means. XD It's one of my favorite words. XD I'm in a fairly good mood, so I updated a day early. Even though I didn't get 8 reviews. I'm sorry you had such a bad day! Here's a cookie! –hands over a cookie- _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_XD Yes, I'm hoping to be at Sora and Kairi's date in the next chapter. But we'll see how far I can get with this stupid writers block. –huffs- darn it. Anyways, I hope camping goes well for you. When I go camping, I love to explore in the woods and stuff with my uncles and stuff. It's fun. Have a good time! _

**Volume-5… **_:D it was SO much fun talking to you the past days. Thank you for adding me!!! XD you like Riku's brother, eh? Hee hee, I modeled him after Kim's brother. All totally laid-back 'what-up' guyish kinda thing. I'm a sucker for romance too! XD can't live without it. Yeah, Kims my own OC and she even scares me!! LMAO! _

_Famous huh? I never really though about it that way. I consider myself 'lucky' to have such wonderful reviewers like you. IN FACT, you're the reason I'm updating right now, even though I'm lacking 8 reviews. _

_YOU HEAR THAT EVERYONE!? I WANNA HEAR YOU SAY THANK YOU! _

_Lol, talk to you later. Enjoy the chapter. _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_You wanna know what the cat's name is? Okay, it's **Jinx**. XD I'm getting a cat and naming it that. Colorblind, huh? Is everything just back, white, and grey? Some of my friends are color blind. Have an AWSOME week! _

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**CHAPTER 13 **

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**__**

**_Riku returned the embrace and wrapped his strong arms all the way around her fragile body. Deepening the kiss a little bit more, he moved his lips with hers tenderly, playing with little strands of her hair that reached down her back. He wished holding her like this would last forever. It's all her really wanted. _**

**__**

**_…:::… _**

**__**

**_"I love you too." _**

**__**

**_…:::… _**

The next day Namine slept in again (since she stayed up all night with Riku XD). Riku had gone home around midnight, the two had almost fallen asleep on the roof. Riku would be gone all day today though, because he said Sora would be dragging him alone to go see Axel and Reno. But no worries, all the girls would be over at her house tonight anyways.

Namine's dad, for some reason, hadn't waked her up as early as he usually did. When Namine checked for him, he was still asleep and in bed. He must've eaten too much food.

Sneaking down stairs to the kitchen she realized she'd slept in till noon. She rolled her eyes at the clock and grabbed something to eat from the kitchen, sitting herself down and staring at the pictures on the walls as she ate. Most of them had her mother in them, and it almost made her take all the pictures down. They reminded her too much of the past, and she didn't like it.

She finished up, and grabbed her cell phone, now sitting in the living room on the couch and going through more of her missed calls and text messages. She almost wanted to laugh, she'd missed nothing!

Putting her cell phone away and heading into her dads computer room, making sure to shut the door behind her, she sat down at his desk and turned the computer on. Her dad would kill her, but what the hell.

She clicked on the chat button and logged herself in, realizing Kairi and Selphie were online. She smiled and wrote:

**Namine: hey. **

**Kairi: You have a computer **

**Selphie: lol **

**Namine: I'm using my dad's computer **

**Kairi: oh **

**Selphie:D guess what **

**Namine: hm? **

**Selphie: Tidus bought me more chocolate! **

**Kairi: -.-' **

**Namine: lol **

**Kairi: Sora won't call me back. **

**Selphie: why? **

**Kairi: I don't know **

**Namine: He's with Riku, meeting Axel and Reno in twighlight town **

**Kairi: I know that, but he still could call me back **

**Selphie: lol **

**Kairi: not funny! **

**Namine: I have to go, my dad's up **

**Kairi: bye **

**Selphie: buh-bye! **

Namine turned off her dad's computer and snuck out of the room as her father lazily dragged himself down the stairs and into her view.

He rubbed his eyes, "What time is it?"

"We have a clock dad." Namine rolled her eyes and walked past him, headed towards the closet and grabbing her sweater.

"Where're you off too?" Her dad asked sheepishly, still yawning and standing in the same spot.

"I'm going to go on a walk." Namine told, putting her sweater on and walking past her father again in another direction.

"To where?" He asked again, following her as she walked over to the front door.

Namine shrugged, "I dunno." She looked at him one more time before opening the door and leaving, "I'll be back in a few hours."

Once gone, she sighed in relief and walked down the street by herself till she came to a clear opening where she could see the ocean perfectly. The sun was already up, considering it was noon, and was high in the sky; shinning brightly in all its glory. She smiled warmly and walked down the street to the beach.

She slipped off her shoes and dug her feet into the warm, grainy sand. Staring off into the distance as the waves lightly crashed over her bare feet, she smiled. Everything that had happened to her since moving here, all the wonderful people she met, she must have been really _lucky_. Remembering her life before this summer made her sick to the stomach. All the rotten people and rainy nights, listening to her mother cry almost every night, her beat up school and ex-boyfriend were all things she wanted to forget about.

_But it was hard. _

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the crisp air. Things were different now. She had a good life. Her father wished to move away from traverse town for a new, _fresh _start. After her mother died they knew living in that god forsaken town would be unbearable.

She opened her eyes again and blinked at the glossy waters. This town was breath taking. The whole Island. The fact that she'd managed to make more friends than she'd had in her whole life in less than 4 months was amazing.

She happy beyond reason. And she liked it that way. Sure, she still had her share of problems but, hey, it's life, right?

But then, all of a sudden, snapping her out of the trance she was currently in…

"Watch out!" Wakka and Tidus yelled at the same time as their blitz ball was flying straight for her head.

Oh, wonderful. She just _had _to be standing right in the middle of their battle zone.

Namine ducked and looked up as the ball shot right over her head in a quick flash of light.

She scowled and shot a glare at the two boys making their way over to her.

Tidus held a hand out, "You okay?"

She slapped his hand away, "_You idiots!_"

"Jeez, we're sorry." Wakka made a face.

Namine took a deep breath and shook her head, "Never mind. I have to go back home anyways."

Before Namine could walk off, "Wait" Tidus yelled after her.

"Hm?" She looked over her shoulder and questioned.

"Selphie and Olette are looking for you." Wakka told while Tidus ran off to retrieve the ball.

"Where are they at?" Namine turned to face him.

He shrugged, "I dunno."

Namine frowned at him, "Well you're a big help."

"But they said something about Kairi's house, maybe they're there." Wakka suggested, shrugging again, "Call Kairi."

Namine smiled faintly and walked off, "Thanks."

Wakka smiled, "You're welcome."

"Heads up!" Tidus yelled as soon as Namine walked out of sight, kicking the ball at Wakka and the two continued their games.

**000 **

Namine dialed Kairi's phone number on her cell phone and let it ring before somebody picked up.

"Hello?" Kairi's voice sounded through the phone.

"Hey, it's Namine." Namine informed.

"Oh, hey," Kairi started, sound happy to hear from her, "Selphie and Olette are over."

"Yeah, I know. Do you mind if I come to visit too?" Namine asked.

"Well, actually, we were planning on calling you to see if we could come over for the sleep over now. It's like, 5pm already." Kairi tried to laugh and Selphie was giggling in the background.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you at my house." Namine's mood lifted.

"Okay, bye!" Kairi said before hanging up.

Namine smiled too herself and continued to walk home, putting her phone away and quickening her pace to make it back before Kairi and the others arrived. She made it back a little earlier than expected and escaped inside her home, and lounged around on her couch while waiting for the girls.

Her dad wasn't home, as expected. He'd most likely left for work a little while after she'd left. You'd think it'd be hard to maintain both roles as a parent: house wife and working father. But he was pretty good at it. It was one of the few skills her father possessed.

Namine sighed after waiting a while and pulled out her cell phone for something to do. She played with the rings and took a few random pictures of herself and the living room. And then her phone vibrated, bringing to her attention she had a new text message.

She looked at her new text message and it read:

**It's Riku! I'm bored sick over here, all Axel, Reno, Roxas want to do is set things on fire and stuff. **

**How are you? I miss you already. **

Namine smiled to herself again and wrote back with the numbers on her phone.

**Bored, huh? Me too. I'm still waiting for my friends to get over here. **

She sent it and waited till her phone vibrated again.

**Oh. The sleepover thing, right? Cool… **

**So, besides waiting for Kairi and everyone, how's your day been? **

Namine wrote back:

**Pretty okay, if you don't count almost being nailed in the head by a blitz ball. **

Her phone vibrated again.

**XD I'm sorry about that. So you went to the beach? **

Namine wrote:

**Yeah. I got a little time to think before that happened. **

Riku wrote:

**What did you think about? **

Namine wrote:

** Stuff. It's not important. **

Riku wrote:

**Oh… Well, okay. I have to go, they're begging for attention. **

**Bye. **

Namine wrote:

**Okay, bye. I'll see you later, right? **

Riku wrote:

**Right. **

**Love ya. **

Namine smiled and wrote back one last time:

**Love ya too. **

Namine turned her phone off and put it away again, getting up to go wait outside on the porch while continuing to wait for her friends. She sat on the first step and hunched over, resting her elbows on her knees and resting her head in her hands as she sighed. She waited longer, staring down the street, bored out of her mind.

And then, she spotted them on the other side of the street approaching the house, and instantly stood up, waving and smiling brightly as she yelled, "Well finally!"

"Sorry," Kairi apologized as they reached the porch, "We had to stop by Selphie's house and wait for her to get her things."

Selphie huffed, "Don't blame it on me!"

"Well it _was _your fault!" Kairi folded her arms.

Olette and Namine laughed.

"Well, come on in! Leave your bags upstairs and we'll figure out what o do first!" Namine opened the door and they all carried their stuff inside and upstairs, setting it by the door in Namine's room and heading back down stairs, where they all sat around the coffee table in the living room.

"I think we should play a game first." Kairi suggested as they all sat down facing each other.

"Truth or dare?" Namine questioned.

"Nah, that's only fun when guys are involved." Selphie shook her head.

Olette rolled her eyes at Selphie and Namine glared.

"We should just hang out for a while." Kairi leaned back and got comfortable, shrugging her shoulders as if to say' just a suggestion.'

"Well, I don't care." Namine joined her, leaning back and sighing.

"Why not?" Olette smiled casually.

"Sure." Selphie considered it.

"Hold on a second- I'll go get something to eat." Namine got up and made her way to the kitchen as the girls watched her disappear around the corner.

"So…" Kairi started once Namine was back with a big bowl of chips, which she set in the middle of the coffee table, "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Olette said, "But Axel's back with Reno."

"I know." Kairi laughed, "Sora totally freaked out over the phone."

"Tidus chose to stay behind and play blitz ball." Selphie told.

"I know," Namine started, "He almost nailed me in the head today."

"Did you tell him off?" Kairi giggled.

"Uh… Kinda," Said Namine.

"Remember last year?" Selphie started, "They set the whole science room on fire."

Namine laughed, "They sound dangerous."

"Ah, don't let us fool you. They're really cool guys." Kairi smiled, leaning back further and stretching.

"Axel's hot." Selphie giggled.

"Selphie!" Olette huffed, "You have a boyfriend!"

"So?" She laughed more, "I can't help it!"

"You're going to drive me insane someday." Olette slapped her forehead.

"Um… Anyways…" Namine looked for a way to change the subject, "Are you excited about your date, Kairi?"

"What!?" Selphie's grin grew double its size, "A daaaaaaaaaaate?"

Kairi palmed her forehead, "Oh god…. Thanks Namine, now she'll never shut up."

"Sorry." Namine had to laugh while Selphie literally threw herself at Kairi.

"How-come-you-didn't-tell-me-about-this-date? Huh-huh-huh?" Selphie spazed.

"Get off of me!" Kairi groaned, pushing the hyper girl away, "It's none of your business!"

"Aw, come on!" Selphie sat down next to her, "Just- just tell me a _little_?"

"I'd like to hear too!" Olette listened intently.

"Alright," Kairi sighed in defeat, "Sora asked me if I wanted to go on a date Saturday. He wouldn't tell me anything else. Probably just a movie-or something."

"Thanks it?" Selphie whined, "You've gotta know more!"

"Well, I don't!" Kairi huffed.

"Moving on…." Namine sighed, "How about we just watch a movie?"

"Anything!" Kairi sighed in relief. Olette shrugged and nodded, while Selphie continued to pout.

Namine got up and put on a movie, picking a random one and slipping it into the DVD player. (I don't know, be creative. _You _tell_ me _what they watched.)

They sat down watching movies for most of the night and then decided to head up to Namine's room to escape her dad before he came home from work. They sat on Namine's bed and on the floor and talked, and then did other things. Like pillow fights and listening to music –things-.

They also watched T.V. and since Kairi had brought her lap top, they surfed the internet for a while too, alone with entering the chat room where most of them usually were, to find Sora, Riku, and Roxas were online.

They all snickered and logged in as Namine. This is pretty much how it went:

_Namine has now logged in. _

**Riku: Namine? **

**Namine: what? **

**Riku: Aren't you doing that sleep-over thing? Why are you online? **

**Namine: Just for fun, I guess. **

**Roxas: lol… **

**Sora: what? **

**Roxas: Axel and Reno just found the fireworks and fire crackers. **

**Riku: Uh-oh. Good thing I left early. **

**Sora: Yeah, me too. They would've killed us. **

**Roxas: Oh crap. I better go before they blow up my computer. They're aiming them at me. **

**Riku: good luck. **

**Sora: God knows you need it. **

_Roxas has logged off. _

"Namine!" Selphie exclaimed, interrupting none the less, "Ask Sora where he's going to take Kairi!"

"Okay." Namine shrugged and began typing again.

**Namine: so… Where are you taking Kairi tomorrow, Sora? **

**Sora: Kairi's there, isn't she? **

**Namine: Maybe… **

**Sora: I'm not saying anything. **

**Riku: XD you told me. **

**Sora: Shhh! **

**Riku: right, right. **

**Namine: Please??????? **

**Sora: No! **

_Sora has logged off. _

**Namine: Damn! **

**Riku: I'd tell you, but I promised not to. **

**Namine: -sigh- **

**Riku: I have to go. My brothers making me go to the store with him to buy more whip-cream See you. **

**Namine: -double sigh- bye. **

_Riku has logged off. _

_Namine has logged off. _

_Roxas has logged in. _

**Roxas: Hi! I'm back. **

**Roxas: … **

**Roxas: hello? **

_Roxas has logged off. _

**000 **

"He almost told me." Namine shrugged, "Close enough."

"You HAVE TO tell us how it went tomorrow!" Selphie insisted, begging kairi.

"Whatever…" Kairi rolled her eyes.

**+To Be Continued!+ **

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**A/N: **I know, I know, I know. It's shorter than usual. –cries- But Writers block hit me and I worked my ass off to get this done by today. You're so lucky I'm this nice! Especially since I didn't get 8 reviews! –Huffs and storms off-

THE AWARDS! 

Top reviewer of chapter 12 was: **Volume-5!! **_Thanks a bunch for adding me to your messenger. I had loads of fun talking to you! _

2nd place: **mOOnlite-dUSk!! **

3rd place: **kenshinroks2111! **

4th place: **Naminecrys4riku!**

About me 

-grumbling and the sound of crashing and breaking things- Damn it, my I-pod broke. It's my dads fault for dropping it and then spilling water on it. RWAR!! TT now I'm music-less.

Anyways, guess what! My winter break starts at the end of this week, so I'll have more time to wrote and update and all the good stuff. ALSO… My friends Christmas party (Bethanie) is this Friday and she's renting a limo to drive us from school to a skating rink so we can just hang out for a while. It'll be fun! And I get to crawl inside that wonderful Limo in front of all the people I go to school with. I'll most likely will me dancing singing, "Uh-huh! That's right! I get to ride in a limo and you DON'T!" And annoying things like that. Can't wait to see the looks on the preps faces. _Priceless. _

Later! 

Yup, that's right. Out of things to say –again!-

PARTY! –Cracker-Jacks000 


	14. The roof

**A/N: **Hiya:D winter break, at last! I shall savor these next few weeks –by being lazy all day and updating lots, of course. I'll have so much time; I don't know what I'll do first. XD Most likely bug my friends. Well, anyways, off to the review replies…

**Kenshinroks2111… **_Thank you! I'm glad you though it was funny. Yeah, there ARE a lot of things to look forward too on Christmas break. It's the greatest time of year! Maybe that's why I'm in a good enough mood to update (writers block, UNGH!) I hope you have an AWSOME Christmas. And I'll be sure to check out those fan fictions of yours, and review them! Have an awesome week! _

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**Alpha male… **_The limo was fun! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one too! _

**Volume-5… **_I wouldn't like to be stuck in a room with Reno and Axel ether! They'd kill me! Lol, Dan sounds pretty awesome. I'm glad you thought the chapter was funny:D Yeah, my I-pod's totally busted. I can't get it to work anymore. –cries- well, I guess that's what Christmas if for. Have an awesome week! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_Aw, THANK YOU! You're so kind! I had SO much fun writing this chapter, besides my writers block. –gag- I HATE it when that happens. Have an awesome week! _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_I'm glad you're happy! Thanks for the review; I really enjoy reading what you have to say! Have an awesome weekend! _

**Oath Of Oblivion 0… **_I only have yahoo messenger. –cries- but if you have one too, go ahead and add me. It's Amandaba2006. Lol, I loved your review! Thanks so much for taking the time to make me laugh again! Have an awesome weekend! _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! And guess-what? There's SoraxKairi fluff in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it:D _

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**CHAPTER 14 **

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**_ "He almost told me." Namine shrugged, "Close enough." _**

**__**

**_"You HAVE TO tell us how it went tomorrow!" Selphie insisted, begging kairi. _**

**__**

**_"Whatever…" Kairi rolled her eyes. _**

****

Namine opened her eyes and yawned, being woken up by Kairi, who was currently struggling with her broken leg. She was sitting on Namine's bed trying to grab her crutches but they kept falling over.

Namine sighed and sat up, and stretched. She helped herself up from the bed of blankets on the floor where she slept and offered Kairi a hand.

"You need any help?" She inquired, tilting her head and laughing lightly at Kairi's effort, because she was getting nowhere.

"I can do it!" Kairi ignored her offer and continued leaning over to pick up her fallen crutches and started the whole process over again.

"Are you sure?" Namine asked.

"I'm sure." Kairi mumbled under her breath, also huffing when the crutches fell over again.

"Really?" Namine pressed on.

"**_YES_**." Kairi took a second to sigh miserably and shoot Namine a death glare. She was clearly irritated beyond reason, "I'm sure."

Namine rolled her eyes and grabbed some clothes, heading into her bathroom to get dressed as Selphie and Olette got up.

Selphie rubbed her eyes, "Jeez, Kairi. What was that?"

"Shut up." Kairi mumbled and continued what she had been doing.

"Are you okay, kairi?" Olette asked, worried as she sat next to her.

Kairi sighed, "_No." _she sounded hopeless, "How the hell am I supposed to go on a date with a broken leg?"

"would you like some-"

"NO." Kairi cut her off, "I already told Namine I can do it myself."

Olette flinched. "Well, I'm sorry!"

Kairi shook her head and sighed, "No, I'm sorry. I'm just not in a good mood."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Olette hesitated before she asked again.

"Actually, yeah, I could use a little bit of help." Kairi sighed and looked up pleadingly at Olette.

Olette smiled sweetly and helped Kairi up, grabbing Kairi's crutches in the process and helping her balance.

"Thanks." Kairi took a deep breath.

Selphie rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning loud enough to wake the neighbors up and stood up, "So, what now? I think I'm ready to go home."

"Yeah," Namine started, just now coming out of the bathroom dressed in casual clothing, "I'll be busy all day so you all should go home. I'll see you later."

Kairi reached for her cell phone, "I'll have my mom pick me up."

Olette grabbed her things and so did Selphie, "Bye! We'll see you later!"

Namine waved as the two girls left and then was followed by Kairi leaving with her mom a half an hour later.

And now, it being about 10:00am, she took the last 2 hours before she had to leave with her dad to traverse town to meet up with his old friends to relax and watch TV downstairs in the living room while she waited for her father to wake up and get ready to go himself.

And then she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she took it out. She had another new text message… From Roxas….

It read:

**HELP ME! **

Namine sighed and wrote back.

**Namine: With what? **

**Roxas: Axel set my bed on fire. I need a place to hide. **

**Namine: I'm leaving. Ask Riku. **

**Roxas: Whatever… You're no help at all. **

**Namine: thanks… **

Namine then turned off her phone and set it on the table as her dad made his way into the living room, "It's time to leave!" He stated.

Namine rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

**000 **

"When's Sora picking you up?" Kairi's mom asked her daughter as they both sat at the table to eat lunch.

"He said about 5 PM." Kairi sighed.

"What's wrong?" Kairi's mom swallowed her food then asked.

"My stupid leg, that's what. It's really getting annoying." Kairi told.

"It's be better about January…" Kairi's mom tried to brighten her mood.

"But how am I supposed to get around tonight with a broken leg?" Kairi looked up and questioned, coming close to shouting. She obviously WAS NOT happy with her situation.

"I'm Sure Sora thought of something. He's pretty smart, you know." Kairi's mom stated.

Kairi sighed miserably and rested her head on the table and mumbled something random.

"So…" Kairi's mom tried to start up a new conversation, "Are you going to the first blitz ball game on Monday?"

"If Namine goes." Kairi lifted her head again and rested it in her hands.

"You don't want to cheer for your friends?" Kairi's mom frowned.

"I do it's just, it's obvious they'll win anyways. What's the point?" Kairi lifted an eye brow.

"It'll give you something to do for 2 hours." Kairi's mom shrugged.

Kairi nodded, "I guess."

"So you're going?" Kairi's mom pressed.

"Yeah, why not?" Kairi smiled weakly.

"Can I come?"

"Please don't."

"Just asking."

"I think I'm going to go get ready for tonight." Kairi grabbed her crutches and stood up, balancing herself.

"Do you need any help?" Kairi's mom smiled.

"_No…" _Kairi sighed deeply and left the room and down the hall way to her own room.

Kairi's mom laughed faintly, "That girl's so stubborn…"

**000 **

About 30 minutes before 5 pm Kairi had FINALLY finished getting ready. She straightened her hair and put a nice looking red shirt on, and a pair of jeans. Considering her leg was broken, she didn't put in much effort to look nice besides that.

Her mom had left for work an hour before and she was home alone, sitting in the dining room, staring out of the large window at the ocean. She nearly fell asleep five times. She'd only gotten 4 hours of sleep at Namine's house, considering they stayed up almost all night. NOT a smart thing to do before a date.

She rubbed her eyes and grabbed her crutches again and made her way back down the hall and into the room right next to the front door where she waited for Sora impatiently. When she took another look at the clock it read 5:24 pm. He was almost a half an hour late!

And then, when she was about to give up and fall asleep on the couch, the door bell rang. Kairi was taken back by the sudden noise, but rejoiced when she realized Sora was finally here.

She slowly opened the door, not being capable of much else because of her leg, and Sora helped her outside and shut the door behind her.

"What took so long?" Kairi huffed as soon as they were both outside and on their way back to… Wherever Sora wanted to take her.

"Sorry… It took forever to convince my mom to let me use her car." Sora walked her down to the drive way where his moms black car sat, and he opened one of the doors for her and helped her in.

"How'd you get your mom to let you use her car?" Kairi questioned.

"I gave her money." Sora laughed and walked around the car and sat down next to her in the drivers' seat, shutting both doors and starting the car.

"How much did you give her?" Kairi chuckled.

"I have to give her forty dollars every month for a year." Sora's laughs died down a bit.

Kairi stopped laughed, "You're that desperate? That's like… 480 dollars all together. It'd be cheaper just to rent a car."

"I know but… My mom wouldn't let me use the phone. She planned this." The car was now driving down the street and they were on their way to where Sora planned on spending the night.

"So where are we going?" Kairi giggled.

"Twighlight town." Sora said, not giving away much and Kairi huffed once more.

"_Where _in twighlight town?" Kairi pressed.

"A restraint." Sora continued to play dumb, quite amused when Kairi pressed further.

"_Which _restraint?" Kairi wasn't going down without a fight.

"You tell me." Sora laughed.

"_SORA!" _Kairi moaned.

Sora laughed harder, "Alright, alright. Y'know that REALLY nice place near the center of twighlight town?" He questioned.

Kairi nodded, becoming a bit excited, "Uh-huh."

"I made reservations for tonight." Sora started, and was about to continue when Kairi cut him off.

"REALLY!?" She grinned _real _wide. This made Sora laugh even harder.

"Yeah," Sora told, and then finished, "On the roof."

Kairi's eyes widened, "We're eating… On the roof?"

Sora smiled his trademark smile, "Yup! Some kind of special they offered…."

"Wow…" Kairi laughed softly, "Was it expensive?"

"You bet," Sora sighed, and then took a second to turn to her and smile, "Anything for you."

Kairi blushed, and pointed back to the steering wheel to remind him to keep his eyes on the road as he continued driving into twighlight town. She was flattered by his devotion.

"Sounds like you went through a lot of trouble," Kairi sighed, "You didn't have to, Y'know? I'd be just as happy if you were making dinner yourself."

"Yeah, I know." She looked up at him as he continued, "I just wanted to do something special for you. I've been busy lately, I owe it to you."

"Aw, Sora." Kairi smiled warmly.

"And when we're done eating, I rented a movie I thought we could watch at my house." Sora told, also turning a corner and nearing the restraint.

"You're too sweet." Kairi giggled. She was pretty lucky.

"You deserve a little attention like this." Sora finally reached his destination and pulled into a parking space.

Kairi smiled to herself and waited for him to get out of the car and come around to help her out.

He opened her car door and leaned in and grabbed her crutches for her, followed by throwing her arm over his shoulder to help her balance while she grabbed her crutches from him and began to balance on her own.

"Sorry I'm such a hassle; my stupid injury's ruining everything." Kairi pouted while Sora shut her door.

"Nah, you're no hassle. I enjoy helping you out." Sora smiled warmly at her and the two proceeded into the building where a host waited and showed them upstairs and onto the roof where a candle lit table waited.

As the host left the two teenagers starting up at the glittering sky and the seemingly perfect dinner spot, the waiter snapped them out of the trance and they both sat down while he took their orders. The waiter then left and they were alone again.

"Wow." Kairi blinked, staring up at the sky in awe.

"I told you you'd like it." Sora grinned.

"You said nothing!" Kairi looked back down at him and the two laughed for a while.

"I'm glad you like it!" Sora continued grinning.

"Like it? I love it!" Kairi gazed over the table at the brightly lit, scented vanilla candles and then back up at the sky for a moment.

Sora's eyes locked on Kairi as she gazed up at the sky in awe. He stared lovingly as she looked back down at him and smiled warmly, enough to make him melt. Their eyes met for a moment before Kairi looked down at her feet blushing, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

When she looked back up, he was still watching her, his eyes soft and warm. She prettiest thing he found there wasn't the candles or the sky or the rose sitting off to the side of the table… It was her. It was all he could think about for a moment.

Kairi returned his affection for her by smiling tenderly, "It's beautiful, Sora."

"Yeah," He agreed, smiling back at her, "You are."

Kairi blushed deeper hid her face from him again, afraid he might have seen.

"Your orders," The waiter suddenly caught their attention when he appeared on the roof again with freshly baked food drinks for both of them, setting everything neatly in front of them and walking away again quietly.

"Thanks for bringing me here." Kairi whispered, followed by taking a sip from her drink.

"No need to thank me," Sora said after he swallowed a bit of food.

"Sora…?"

"Hm?"

"I… Never mind."

Sora chuckled, "Come on! Out with it!"

Kairi shook her head, "Later."

"Please?" Sora begged, pulling puppy eyes on her.

Kairi tried her best not to get caught in his eyes again, and changed the subject, "I've decided to go to the blitz ball game on Monday."

Sora's smile suddenly grew two times in size, "Really?"

"Yeah, I have to cheer for you, don't I?" Kairi laughed softly.

"Thanks, Kairi." Sora said.

"No problem." Kairi smiled sweetly.

Soon after they both finished dinner and decided just to stare up at the stars for a minute. They were now sitting on the roof instead of the chairs, their feet were dangling off the side of the building and they were deep in conversation. The sky had pitch black and the only things allowing them to see anything were the almost dead candles and the stars.

"Would you rather…. Swim in a pool with sharks or swim in a pool with piranhas?" Kairi asked pointlessly.

"Piranhas. I HATE sharks." Sora laughed, "Remind me why we're playing this game again?"

Kairi shrugged, "You started it."

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Alright, I give up, you win." Sora leaned back and laughed out load.

"You give up already?" Kairi whined, "You're such a wimp."

"Jeez, thanks Kairi." Sora looked to his side at her and laughed.

"We should start heading back to your house to watch that movie now. I don't know when my mom will want me home." Kairi informed, and Sora helped her up again and she grabbed her crutches.

"Alright, let's go then." And with that the two were heading back to the car and Sora helped her in and drove off back to his house again, where they reached 30 minutes later. Once there, Sora helped Kairi out again and entered his empty home. They were the only ones there at the time because Sora's dad was in a business meeting out of town and him mom was working the late shift.

Sora showed her to his couch where she sat down and Sora grabbed the movie and slipped it into the DVD player. He grabbed the remote and turned it up a little louder while he grabbed a light blanket and threw it over both of their shoulders and turned off all the lights.

Kairi cuddled up close to him and rested her head on Sora's shoulders as the movie began to play and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. As the movie continued Kairi slowly began to fall asleep, until her eyes were nearly closed half way through the movie, and Sora caught her yawn.

"Are you tired?" He asked, rubbing her shoulder to catch her attention.

"Huh?" She looked up at him sheepishly.

"I said," He started, using his free hand to wipe a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"A little." Kairi laughed lightly.

Sora cupped her cheek with the palm of her hand and smiled warmly, "Then go to sleep. It's okay; I'll have your mom come pick you up if you want."

"No, it's alright." Kairi sighed into his hand, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him lightly, looking up and smiling sheepishly once more.

And now, Sora couldn't take it any more. He leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, caressing her check with his thumb and pulling away shortly after to see Kairi had turned so red she resembled a giant cherry. He chuckled lightly at this.

"It's okay, Kairi," Sora leaned in again and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight."

"Mm…" Kairi closed her eyes and kissed him back one more time, "Night."

Sora wrapped his other arm around her as she fell asleep, using his chest as a pillow, and he covered the rest of her shoulders with the blanket he'd brought out for the two of them. He hugged her tightly against his chest and nearly fell asleep with her as the night continued, and he rested his head on top of hers. And soon, he fell asleep too.

Her mom would just have to wait.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

**A/N: **I hope you all liked the chapter! I know I loved writing it!

You all better be grateful! I didn't get 8 reviews and I'm still updating!! XD I spoil you all very much!

THE AWARDS 

Top reviewer was: **Volume-5!! **_Thanks so much for talking with me on messenger! _

2nd place: **Oath Of Oblivion 0!!** _Lol, that was hilarious! Thank so much for making me laugh! _

3rd place: **kenshinroks2111!!! **_I hope your Christmas turns out wonderfully! _

4th place: **mOOnlite-dUSk!! **_I hope you enjoyed the fluff! _

A NEW STORY 

Yep, I made a new story. It's just going to be a collection of one shots about what Organization 13 does during their free time, for comedy. In the fist chapter Axel's drunk! XD

HAVE AN AWSOME WEEK EVERYONE! DON'T FOGET TO REVIEW! 

-cries- I've run out of things to say!

Fluff attacks for everyone!- Cracker-Jacks000 


	15. Fights

**A/N: **Merry Christmas:D I hope you all have a good one!!!! Honestly, I can't wait!

((She's in a good mood))

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**Volume-5… **_Yeah! Sora and kairi are cute together! –parades around in fluff- They're my favorite! And you should make a chapter for them sometime! I'd like to see it! A sea of lovely fluff, huh? THANK YOU! I'm so glad you liked the chapter. I rushed to get it done. I'll talk to you soon! Oh, and I hope you have the best Christmas EVER! _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_I enjoyed reading that one shot of yours! I can't wait to see what kinda stuff you'll write for Kingdom Hearts! Yeah, pretty harsh of Sora's mom to make him pay all that much. Heh heh, anything for his beloved girlfriend. Happy holidays to you too! _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_I'm SO beyond happy that school's out for a while. Gives me time to lounge around and write! BTW, I wrote a one shot about Christmas for Sora and Kairi if you wanna check it out! It's pretty cute. . You'll like it. Have a very merry Christmas! _

**SK-Seeker… **_I'm sorry, Reno and Axel won't be attending school till around January in the story. Just before the Olympics in the Bahamas. But you'll see a –little- bit of them before then, I promise! I was so egger to write about Axel I wrote that one shot. XD Drunk Axel... heh. Anyways, thanks for the review and have a merry Christmas! _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_Thank you! Thank you! –bows down- Lol, I hope you have a very merry Christmas too! And sorry about your school not being out till the end of the week. __L aw.. Anyways, I'm so happy you liked the fluff! I enjoyed writing it! _

**Alpha Male… **_You have a merry Christmas too! I'm glad you liked the chapter!!! (P.s. I wrote a Christmas One shot for the two .) Enjoy the chapter! _

**Khprincess31… **_That's Okay, we've all been busy lately. I understand how you feel! Don't feel bad. Yeah, Kim's back! XD She's staying for a loooooong time too! –Dramatic music in the background- DUN DUN DUN! Lol, I hope you like the chapter! Merry Christmas! _

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**MoonlightXIII… **_OMG!!! THANK YOU!!!! I really appreciate the effort you're putting in to review a bunch of my chapters!!!! I can't be any happier!!! Have a VERY AWSOME Christmas!!! I mean it! _

**Sayshello3… **_It's Okay. :3 We've all been a little busy lately. Aw, thank you!! Your reviews always make me feel good! I'm beyond happy that you like my story!! –bows for you- It's here for your entertainment. Have a very merry Christmas and enjoy the chapter! _

**Shianoka… **_Yeah, I did write that story. And yes, this is the sequel! I hope you enjoy it! _

**Chefbekah1304… **_Yay for Sora and Kairi:3 I'm glad you liked the chapter!! ;) And thank for reviewing my new one shots!!!! YOU ROCK! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! MERRY CHRISTMAS! (chrismahanakwanza) XD!!! _

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**CHAPTER 15 **

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**_ "It's okay, Kairi," Sora leaned in again and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight." _**

**__**

**_"Mm…" Kairi closed her eyes and kissed him back one more time, "Night." _**

**__**

**_ Sora wrapped his other arm around her as she fell asleep, using his chest as a pillow, and he covered the rest of her shoulders with the blanket he'd brought out for the two of them. He hugged her tightly against his chest and nearly fell asleep with her as the night continued, and he rested his head on top of hers. And soon, he fell asleep too. _**

**__**

**_ Her mom would just have to wait. _**

Sunday passed by quickly and it was soon Monday again, meaning the break was over. The school was filled with teenagers once more, and no body was happy to be back. Namine and Olette were at their lockers 5 minutes before the bell making sure they had everything while everyone else was on the bottom floor in the student lounge.

Kairi wasn't at school today because of an appointment with her doctor and Wakka and Tidus just didn't show up at school today. Most everyone was horribly grumpy because well, it was Monday; which meant another long week of school. And to make matters worse, Kim was back. _Great. _Another problem to deal with. And as if she wasn't enough of a Bitch she was still after Riku too.

But, at least the gang still had something to look forward too. The blitz ball game after school! And Kim, being the totally insane prep that she was, it was damn near impossible that she'd decide to show up. This was not only a relief to Namine, but to Roxas as well. He'd really began to hate Kim after what Riku had told him about her, and Roxas wasn't the type just to sit around and watch his friends get poked at. _Another problem. _Roxas's new obsession with hating Kim was only more Drama Namine would have to put up with, and Drama was the one thing she'd been trying to avoid this whole time. And guess what? Roxas had all her classes and her lunch.

It really would be a long week… No, a long year.

The bell rang and everyone hurried off to their classes, taking their seats and waiting for the speaker on the intercom to come on. Namine, sitting next to Riku near the back of the room, tapped her pencil against her desk and kept her eyes in front of the class glaring at Kim. _Just _what she wanted. Was Kim doing this on purpose?

Kim looked over her shoulder and glared back, and then smirked; sticking her tongue out and when Namine looked offended Kim laughed and continued looking towards the front of the class.

And then the sound of the teachers' voice startled the whole class and she got everyone's attention, "Has anyone seen Roxas?"

They all shook their heads quietly.

The teacher sighed, "I swear… That Kids going to get it after school."

All of a sudden the intercom clicked on and the sound of a familiar voice sounded through the speakers. Everyone already knew who it was…. _Roxas. _

"Good morning Destiny High!" You could hear mumbling in the background and the sound of snickering, "I have a _very _important announcement to make this morning!"

"**_ROXAS!_**" Mrs. Brosmore roared and stormed out of the class room.

Namine covered her mouth and giggled while Riku slapped his forehead, "That IDIOT!"

"Here goes nothing…" Roxas started, and by the sound of his voice he was obviously trying hard not the laugh, "The principal is gay! I repeat, the principal is gay!"

You could hear the whole school erupt in laughter.

Roxas was in for it.

"You ungrateful little punk!" Mrs. Brosmore, the English teacher, dragged Roxas back into the classroom by his coaler. Ripping at the not-so-neat uniform of his, she nearly threw him at his seat, and then Cid (Roxas's math teacher) matched into the room also.

"Yeah! What she said!" Cid agreed. Mrs. Brosmore then turned to him and scowled. Cid rolled his eyes and left and class had Finally started.

Roxas smiled widely and laced his hands behind his head. Just like he'd predicted he would, he got away with it.

But, absolutely pulverizing his good mood, he looked to his right and discovered he was sitting next to the one person he despised the most. He maybe even hated her more than Namine.

Kim.

She slowly turned her head and eyed him devilishly, the look on her face scary enough to make anyone's blood run cold. She wasn't exactly fond of him ether.

Kim growled and Roxas flinched, but he managed to hold a scowl of his own against her. She would be a worthy appointee.

**000 **

Riku sighed deeply and miserably, banging his head against the table he was sitting at for lunch, "This isn't happening…"

"What? Kim?" Sora asked after he swallowed a bite of food.

"Yeah… I though maybe that day she showed up at school was just a bad dream or a horrible joke."

Sora laughed at Riku's expense, "At least it's not my problem!"

Roxas only folded his arms and mumbled.

"Aw," Sora frowned, "You too? Is everyone in a bad mood?"

"That bitch can go to hell…" Roxas muttered under his breath.

Sora shook his head and got up from his seat and grabbed the empty tray, bringing it with him, "Look, I'm going to go wait in class. At least people aren't complaining there."

Roxas and Riku both gasped, "Don't tell us you're siding with Kim!"

"Never! I'm just sick of your moods already. She's not here at the moment, is she? Where're okay!" Sora said before heading off in another direction.

Roxas completely ignored him, "Yep… He's on Kim's side."

Riku slapped him in the back of the head, "Shut-up!" He moaned.

Riku than got up too, and took a deep breath, "I'm going to see where Namine's at. Kim's lurking around here somewhere, and I'll die before she gets to Namine."

"Whatever." Roxas huffed, rolling his eyes and not even bothering to watch his friends walk away.

Riku walked down the quiet hall way with the few secret rooms for students and entered the one Namine and the girls usually hid away in. But Namine wasn't there, instead he found Olette.

"Hey Olette." Riku sat down next to her and sighed.

"What's wrong?" She questioned.

"I'm just…. I don't know. Worked up I guess." Riku leaned into the back of the couch and relaxed a bit.

"Is that all anyone can think about anymore?" Olette frowned, "Kim? I mean, I know she's bad, but it's not _that_ bad of a deal. Is it?"

"Trust me," Riku eyed her, "She's bad. I, of all people, should know."

Olette nodded, "I guess."

"Where's Namine?" Riku questioned.

"Looking for trouble," Olette told, "She's after Kim right now."

Riku palmed his forehead, "She's going to kill herself." And with that he rushed out of the room and left Olette staring.

She shrugged and continued with what she was doing.

**000 **

Namine searched the hallways over and over again but there still wasn't a sign of her enemy. The one she must destroy at all costs. She was going to settle this now before things got out of hand again. And besides, she still hadn't gotten her revenge for what Kim did to her. Revenge was something she deeply desired at the moment. (A/N: Bad Namine!)

She searched the same hall way she'd searched 5 times already and pounded the wall in frustration. Where the hell was she?!

"Damn it!" She sighed and turned over, leaning against the wall and sinking to the ground, resting her arms on her knees and she started to wait.

Impatiently.

Fine, if she couldn't find Kim, she'd wait for Kim to find her. At least it meant little effort on her part.

And then Riku's voice called her name and her head sank to her knees and she groaned. Riku was here to ruin everything.

"I told you to stay _away_ from Kim, not follow her around! You'll make everything worse!" Riku moaned, stopping in front of her and catching his breath, "If she hurts you, you know I'll never forgive my-"he was cut off.

"Riku!" Namine looked up and roared, "Do you really think I'm that defenseless? That helpless? I can take care of myself, thank you!"

Riku was taken back by her sudden rage, "N-no! It's nothing like that!"

Namine stood up and scowled at him, "Really?" By the sound of her voice, she wasn't about to back down. Not this time. She came prepared for this.

"Namine…" Riku eyed her, what was with her sudden attitude towards him? She rarely ever acted like this… "I just-"

"I don't care." Namine barked and then began to walk away down the hall way, planning on just leaving Riku there while she disobeyed him.

But then he grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her towards him and against his chest as he held her tightly in his arms. Although taken back by the sudden embrace, she scowled once more, pounding against his chest, "Riku! Let. Me. Go!"

Riku only held onto her tighter, refusing to let go, "Namine, please…"

Namine hesitated for a moment before her pounding on his chest only got harder, until she broke free from a confused Riku, "Let me fight my own battles!" Was all she said before she took off down the hall way and out of sight.

Riku remained motionless as he watched her disappear without looking back. All he did was stare, even long after she was gone. All he did was just stand there, so stricken he couldn't move. He was… _Hurt. _

And then a figure behind him put his hand on his shoulder and frowned with him, "You really took a beating there." He felt bad for his friend. Namine has seriously told him off.

Riku nodded his head slowly and spoke in hushed tones, "Yeah…"

"Sorry I watched." He apologized.

"That's okay, Roxas." Riku continued to speak softly.

"Does she know Kim left right after first period with her mom?" Roxas asked, patting his friend's shoulder one last time before letting go.

"No."

"You gonna go tell her?"

Riku shook his head softly, "I-… No…" He turned around and made his way back to the student lounge with Roxas. Maybe, he just needed a moment to think.

Was she really that mad at him?

**000 **

The last bell rang signaling school was over. Riku had purposely avoided Namine what was left of school after lunch thinking she might get angry again. He even avoided sitting in his normal spot next to her in class. And what really made him miserable was that she didn't seem to care at all. In fact, she was avoiding him all at the same time.

What had he done?

But he had to avoid his thought for at least two hours for the blitz ball game he was currently getting ready for. If he messed this up too, they wouldn't have the chance to join the blitz ball Olympics in the middle of January. All they needed to do was remain unbeatable for 3 more games and they were well on their way.

So he shook his head of all thoughts and joined Sora, Roxas, and all the other players on his team on the field to take their places for the game.

Real blitz ball was played in a giant bowl of water in the middle of a coliseum, but this, believe it or not, is where everything starts; on a field. And if Riku was ever going to get a chance to play the game in the water like it was meant to be, he had to get through this first. Any problems he had could wait till after the game.

He searched the crowd for a moment and surprisingly, there was Namine, sitting in the middle of everyone all by herself gazing off and at him. He was about to approach her for a moment when his common sense kicked in. She was mad, he was hurt, and the game would be starting in five seconds. Literally.

The alarm for the game rang out and everyone in the crowd, besides Namine, cheered. The blitz ball was tossed all over the place for a while, Destiny high gaining most of the points as usual, but the other team still close to catching up. They'd be winning by a long shot if Riku's head was in the game like it was supposed to be but it wasn't. Despite his restless effort, he couldn't keep his eyes off the crowd and Namine which resulted in quite a few accidents. Like this one for example:

"Riku!" Sora yelled in an effort to catch his friend's attention, "Here! Think fast!" And with that said he threw the ball hard and fast, the perfect pass, but sadly Riku wasn't paying any attention. _Oops. _

The bell smacked Riku in the head so hard he was sent hurling to the ground in pain. The ball bounced off his head and too the side, at Roxas's feet, and Roxas picked up the ball, "_Riku!" _he moaned.

Riku rubbed his head and stood up again, "Y-yeah! Sorry. Won't happen again!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Roxas rolled his eyes and the game continued. By halftime, the score was 21 to 25. Destiny high was winning, but just barely.

Riku sat down on a bench for a few minute to relax and cool off, but was quickly dragged back into the game. Trying his best to focus on the game, he quickened his pace and played a bit harder. But still, the other team was still catching up, and fast. Soon, both teams were tied.

"This isn't good…" Sora whispered to himself.

"Tell me about it!" Roxas said as he ran past, passing the ball to Sora who passed it to Riku. Riku attempted to make a goal but missed by a few inches. And then, the other team scored. _Twice. _They were losing.

With 5 minutes left determination to win kicked in. Even Roxas managed to find a way to play harder than he already was. Soon, they were tied again with 30 second left. Just barely enough time to break the tie if they played this right.

"Riku!" Roxas shouted as he passed the ball to Riku, and then Riku passed the ball to another team mate who passed it to Sora. Roxas ran ahead past a few members of the opposite team and Sora passed to Him, and now it was al up to Roxas. Roxas turned around and charged at the goal with full strength and hurled the ball forward.

"_GOAL!_" and right before the alarm sounded to end the game. It was a battle, especially for Riku, they'd won. Even if it was just barely.

Riku fell over and sat on the ground for a moment, wiping the sweat off his face and breathing deeply. Roxas and Sora soon joined him.

"Jeez…" Roxas laid down on his back as the crowd started to leave, "What a game."

Sora leaned back and stretched his legs, "I think I'm gonna go home and crash."

Riku then stood up, and waved goodbye, "I've got something I need to take care of. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow, Okay?"

Roxas and Sora nodded, "Right!"

With that Riku ran off of the field and into the departing crowd in search of Namine. He spotted her out of the corner of his eye entering the school and he followed her in, catching her off guard and putting his hand on her shoulder to make her face him.

"What?" She questioned.

Riku was still breathing hard, "What was that earlier today?"

Namine huffed.

"I never thought I'd see you get so angry." Riku lowered his head and let go of her shoulder, "What'd I do?"

"Nothing," She stated simply, "You just needed to hear that. It's not like I can't take care of myself."

Riku lifted his head, "I know but… Kim's-"

"I know what Kim's capable of," Namine cut him off, "Remember? That's why I have to face this on my own."

Riku nodded, "I can't help?"

Namine shook her head as if to say 'no'.

Riku sighed deeply and took a deep breath, "You're killing me, Namine."

Namine took a step closer, till she was leaning on his chest and looking up at him, "Please?" She whispered.

"Alright, Fine," Riku gave in and Namine smiled wide, "But- The first time something happens, I don't care how small, I'm taking action."

"Deal." Namine nodded.

Riku then leaned in and kissed her forehead, "Don't do anything rash."

Namine blinked, and then kissed him back on the lips lightly, then pulling away quickly before Riku took over.

"Walk me home?" She said, pulling away and reaching for his hand, which she took.

He laced his fingers through hers and smiled warmly, "Of course!"

With that the two left for Namine's house and once there, they stopped in front of her house and Riku let go of her hand, "See you tomorrow." He smiled and watched her walk inside. When she waved goodbye and shut the door he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked next door to his own home.

**000 **

Namine stepped into the empty house and sighed, realizing her dad was still at work. Lately, he'd been at work a lot. She was lucky if she even saw him in the morning for 5 minutes or when he came home at night. All he ever did when he was home now was eat or sleep. Namine ended up making her own breakfast, lunch, and dinner since the whole thing began a while after she returned from Las Vegas.

Sometimes, she traveled off to the thought that maybe her Dad _wasn't_ at work, just goofing off with another woman. But she always shook her head at the though, there was no way he would replace her mom. Not in a million years. He loved her…

But mom was dead. Dad was lonely. Namine was without a mother. These thought nagged at her whenever she thought about it, growing stronger and stronger each time. But he wouldn't do that. Namine already had a mom, even if she'd passed away, and didn't need a new, _fake _mother. So she ignored the thought at all costs thinking it was impossible.

Making her way up the stair and into her room, she ignored eating dinner and lay down on her bed, staring up at the bank ceiling deep in thought again. Even though it was annoying, she missed spending time with her father. _Even _just watching him work on the computer. She missed his presence.

She turned on her side and pulled her blanket over her shoulders, turning off the lamp next to her bed and closing her eyes. Yeah, I know, it's only 7 PM, but Namine didn't feel like being away at the moment. She _just _wanted to sleep.

But then she'd forgotten she left her cell phone in her pocked. But when she reached for it to put it away on the small corner table next to her bed, it began to vibrate.

She flipped it open and saw that Riku had sent her a text message that read:

**My brother left again. You wanna come over and hang out for a while? **

Namine sighed and wrote back.

**I'm tired. **

She waited and her phone vibrated again.

**Tired?! It's not even 8! **

Namine wrote back.

**Just let me sleep, please? **

Riku wrote:

**Is everything okay? **

Namine wrote:

**I'm fine. **

Riku wrote:

**You can come sleep over here at my house. Your dad won't mind, I'm sure. **

Namine wrote:

**He won't even be here to notice. He's working late again. **

Riku wrote:

**I should come over there then. Would you mind if I crashed at your house instead? **

Namine wrote:

**Not at all. Just walk on in, I'll be upstairs. **

Riku wrote:

**I'll be there in 5 minutes. **

Namine then slipped off her phone and put away on the corner table, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, waiting for Riku.

In a while, she heard tapping on her window and she stood up and walked over, realizing Riku was on her roof knocking on the window.

Namine opened it and he jumped in, "I told you to use the front door."

"The front doors locked." Riku stood up straight, looked at her, and smiled.

Namine then yawned and sat back down on her bed, and looked up at him, "I've got a T.V. in here. You can watch it if you want."

"Sure, why not." He joined her on the bed, leaning against the wall while Namine sat on the edge of the bed in front, staring off into space.

After a while, her blank look across the room started to bother him, so he caught her attention, "Namine, are you alright?" He questioned.

She rubbed her eyes again and yawned, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey Namine," She look at him again as he started to speak again, "Come here." Before she had time to question he grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest and he leaned back again with her in his arms, "Sleep." He commanded.

"B-but-"

"It's okay." He leaned his head over her shoulder to look at her and she looked up at him. He smiled warmly, "I got you."

Namine relaxed against his chest and leaned into his a little bit, shutting her eyes and sighing peacefully as he pulled the blanket over the two of them,"Thanks."

After turning off the T.V. with the remote he rested his head on top of hers and shut his eyes as well, "Night."

"Night." Namine reached to her side for his hand and held it, intertwining her fingers with his and they both fell asleep like that; hand-in-hand and Namine rested in Riku's arms as he held her while she fell asleep against him.

For a moment, Namine's worries and fears slipped away and she could sleep.

**000 **

"Namine!" Riku's voice hummed in her ear and he played with the messy strands of her hair, "Wake up!"

"Mmmm." She mumbled and ignored him.

"_Namine!_" He pressed on, "_Wake up_!"

When Namine continued to ignore him he let go of her hand (yes, he held it all night AW...)) and began to tickle her till she gave in and sat up so he could get free from under her.

"Morning!" He sang, swinging his legs over the bed and standing up, stretching his arms and legs and yawning.

Namine continued to sit on the bed as she looked up and watched him.

When he noticed she was doing so, he raised an eye brow and asked, "What?"

Namine giggled, "You're shirtless."

Riku laughed and then leaned over the edge of the bed and scoped her up into his arms and began carrying her downstairs.

"R-Riku!" She blushed deeply.

"Hows about I make you some breakfast!" He ran with her in his arms down the hall way and into the kitchen, where he finally let her down and she eyed him.

"You can cook?" She questioned, as if it were hard to believe.

"Surprised?" He asked, "When I started living with just my brother I ended up cooking all the meals. I'm quite the chief." He bragged.

Namine giggled and rolled her eyes playfully, moving to the dining room and sitting down while waiting about 15 minutes for Riku to show up again with two plates of pan cakes and bacon.

He set one in front of her and sat down in the seat next to her, "Enjoy!" And with that he watched anxiously as Namine took a bit of the food, waiting for her opinion, nearly bouncing up and down in his seat.

Namine chewed and swallowed, "That's delicious." She looked at him and smiled, and he rejoiced.

The morning couldn't have turned out any more perfect.

After Breakfast was over, Namine headed up stairs to change while Riku changed downstairs and they were soon ready to head off to school.

**000 **

Roxas had gone to school early, in search of the one person he hated the most. _Kim. _

The only thought running through his mind as he creped through the hallways of the school was: _I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! I'm gonna get her! _

He then spotted Kim pushing her way through a crowd of people to get to the stair case so she could head upstairs. Roxas quickly dashed up after her and as she reached the top floor Roxas had grabbed her wrist and turned her around thinking: _Got her! _

"Hey!" Kim hissed at him, "You're the Punk that punched me!"

"Bingo!" He let go of her wrist and pushed her, "And I'm here to do it again!"

"Think again!" Kim pushed him hard and smirked as she watched him fall down the whole stair case, and then when he landed on his head as he hit the bottom floor she took a minute to point and laugh at a now un-conscious Roxas and then walked away again, continuing what she was doing.

Nobody crosses the all-mighty Kim.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

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**A/N: ** I finished early!!!! All of those new reviews I got from everyone hit me in the head with inspiration. So I finished early!

BOUT' ME! 

XD I watched a Tag commercial today and I swear, it was the funniest commercial I've EVER seen! I fell off the couch laughing.

p.s. my I-pods still broken.

MERRY CHRIsTMAS 

I'll be taking a break till after Christmas on writing so this is you 'Merry Christmas' Chapter. L I need a little break.

RikuxNamine fluff next chapter!

WARNING: If you mess with the King's Queens you better watch your Ace, Jack. – Cracker-jacks000 


	16. I'd like that a lot

**A/N: **Ah! Good to be back:3 It was a nice lil' break though. Thanks for the reviews!!!

_On to the replies… _

**Volume-5… **_-Cries- Sorry it took me so long to update!!! (( See Bottom note for more information)) But I'm back with a new chapter now!!! I hope you like it! . _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_-evil laugh- Hows about we both go beat that Kim up!! Teach her a lesson, if ya know what I mean. Lol, Roxas doesn't hate Namine, another one of my mistakes. –sigh- I don't proof read a thing theses days. Sorry about there not being a top reviewer, I spaced again. I hope you enjoy the chapter!!! _

**mOOnlite-dUSk… **_Sorry about the late update. –cries- you deserve so much better! –cries- (( Read bottom note for more information)) But I'm back! … For a while at least. Anywho, let us both parade around in the fluff!!! Lol, I hope your Christmas was the best! _

**Alpha Male… **_Hey, thank you for visiting my site! I really appreciate it!! And I'm glad you liked the chapter!! Although, this one might be a little shorter than usual. –sigh- I rush things too much. _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_Aw, thank you!!! I'm so glad to have a reviewer such as yourself. –smiles real wide- Enjoy the chapter! _

**Hotaru89… **_-sigh- Everyone IS obsessed with Kim… I should calm them down a bit. Enjoy the fluff!!! _

**Khprincess31… **_:D I don't need that confusing I-pod anymore!! I got a new MP3 player for Christmas!!! I trust this one isn't going to let me down. Enjoy the chapter!! _

**SK-Seeker… **_XD I really wanted Roxas to spar with Kim more than Namine, just because he makes it look so… Cute!! (( In a sense)) But don't worry, I'm working on a way to Bring Axel and Reno in a little bit quicker. 'working' being the key work. Enjoy the chapter! _

**DXxkunoichiXkh2fanxXD… **_We should both go teach Kim a lesson. Really! Lol, enjoy the chapter. _

**Sayshello3… **_Thank you:D I'm glad you enjoy this story, cuz I work pretty hard to keep it going. –sigh- but I give it what I got. –laughs- No Roxas doesn't like Namine. TRUST ME, not in this story. Maybe in a new one shot I'm working on… But not here. Anyways, enjoy the chapter! _

**RMC169… **_Aw! I'm flattered you like my story so much. This review DEFINATLY makes up for not reviewing earlier. Made me smile! And thank for reading the first story, I appreciate it!! Enjoy the chapter. _

**MoonlightXIII… **_I'd like to thank you for reviewing so many chapters!!! Thanks for your effort!!! Enjoy the chapter! _

**IMPORTANT!!!!! **_My computer has been having issues the past 2 weeks, I'm sure you can see that since my update was later than expected. –cries- SO sorry for the bad news, I had to set out a warning. But no fear, even if my computer, some way or another, stops working; I shall still find a way to update, even if it sucks up all my free time. Anything for the reviewers!!! _

_P.s. Roxas DOES NOT secretly like Namine… -sigh- _

_Short chapter, I know… -sigh again- _

**CHAPTER 16 **

**_"Think again!" Kim pushed him hard and smirked as she watched him fall down the whole stair case, and then when he landed on his head as he hit the bottom floor she took a minute to point and laugh at a now un-conscious Roxas and then walked away again, continuing what she was doing. _**

**_Nobody crosses the all-mighty Kim. _**

"Are you ready to go yet, Namine?" Riku asked, leaning over the couch Namine was sitting on to look down at her.

"Hm?" Namine looked up at him, "Uh… Yeah! I'm ready, just give me a minute to grab my backpack, Okay?"

"Okay." Riku nodded his head and started heading in another direction, "I'll be waiting by the door for you."

Namine smiled, and then ran quickly up her stairs to grab her bag, and then darted down the stairs to meet Riku by the door. As soon as she was there, Riku opened the door for her and followed her out, shutting the door behind both of them.

They walked down the streets that lead to their school, full of conversation as they went, until they reached school ten minutes later.

"Hey, hold on." Riku stopped her as she began to open the doors that lead inside.

She turned to face him, "What's the matter?"

"I've got a better idea!" Riku started to smile REALLY wide.

"What do you me-"Before Namine could finish Riku had grabbed her hand and began running as fast as he could opposite from the school, dragging her along with him, "Riku!" She shouted, and he only laughed.

"Trust me!" He looked over him shoulder at her for a moment to assure her, and then continued on running as far away from the school as his legs would take him.

A good 15 minutes later, after running past their homes and into town, which was crowded, Riku finally stopped and let Namine take a minute or two to breathe.

"What're you doing?" Namine looked up at him and asked, panting in-between words.

Riku ignored her question and continued to smile, followed by laughing hysterically. He had dragged her into the center of town, on the plaza next to a large fountain. _Far _from the school, I might add.

"School's already started by now!" Namine held out the watch her father had given her a few weeks ago, letting him take a good look at the time. He laughed, _again. _

"Exactly!" Riku threw his head up to the sky and laughed louder, attracting quite a bit of attention from the crowd of people around them.

"Are you out of your mind?" Namine balked, throwing her hands out at her sides and staring wide-eyed, demanding a logical reply.

He looked back down at her and stopped laughing, "Of course not!"

"Then why the hell are we here?" Namine rested her hands on her hips and shot him a glare, speaking a bit louder than needed.

"Calm down, Namine…" Riku tilted his head and smiling awkwardly, "Even you need a break sometimes."

"What are you talking about?" Namine removed her hands from her hips only to cross her arms and lift an eye brow.

"We're ditching school for a day." Riku was quite blunt.

"What?!" Namine grabbed her head, "My dad's going to KILL me!"

"It's okay, calm down!" Riku placed his hand on her shoulders and shook her to she'd stop freaking out and look at him, "I called the school yesterday acting like your dad, and told the school you'd be gone today."

"You did _WHAT!?_" Namine only freaked out further.

Riku shook her again to get her attention, "Namine! Quit it!"

"Do you have _any _idea how high of a risk we're taking?" Namine glared at him.

"You're only going to make it worse by screaming." Riku smirked.

"Alright then," Namine took a deep breath, "What else am I supposed to do?"

Riku took her hand and smiled warmly, "Enjoy yourself."

Namine cocked an eye brow, "Huh?"

"I, Riku, am taking you, Namine, on a date." Riku informed, "Clear enough?"

Namine wanted to laugh at him. REALLY bad, "Is that what this is all about? We couldn't wait till after school?"

Riku shook his head, "Take a look around. It's twice as crowded after school."

"The weekend?" Namine pressed.

"Aw, Come on!" Riku sighed, "I wouldn't be able to wait that long!"

"You're stubborn!" Namine let go of his hand and began walking back where they came from, "If we hurry, we can make it back in time enough for second period!"

"Namine." Riku whined.

She turned around again and smiled brightly, "Just kidding!"

Riku sighed in relief and shook his head at Namine, "don't do that."

"So?" Namine walked back up to him, "What are we waiting for? Where first?"

Riku smiled and took her hand for a second time, "This way!"

Namine followed Riku's lead to a short street filled with merchants and both selling goods, jewelry, crafts, the works.

Namine looked at him and questioned.

"Pick something out." Riku insisted.

"Why?" Namine asked.

"I'm prepared to buy you whatever you want!" Riku's smiled, "I didn't spend that whole month and a half just playing blitz ball, you know. I took up a part-time job where my brother works; another greasy restraint."

"Are you sure?" Namine eyed a pricey necklace, "Just a warning, I have an eye for expensive things."

"Why not?" Riku took out his wallet and handed it to her, "Buy whatever, I'll watch. Just leave enough for lunch later today."

"Well… If you insist." Namine hugged him, and then ran off into the crowd, and Riku followed her.

About an hour and a half later, close to noon, Namine had already bought a few cheep trinkets until her eye caught the same expensive necklace she'd been eyeing before. She walked over to the booth, followed by Riku, and pointed at it when the merchant questioned.

"Ah," The merchant smiled devilishly, "You have a fine taste, lass."

"How much?" Namine couldn't wait to get her hands on the glistening jewelry. It was a small gold cross with a detailed design at each of the corners, with a silver jewel in the center. The cross was hanging off of a fine silver chain.

"700 munny." The merchant continued to smile devilishly, "A fair price for such a piece of work. Hand crafted, I might add."

Namine looked to her side and up at Riku pleadingly, "Please?" She at least asked nicely.

Riku shrugged, "Why not?"

Namine squealed with joy and quickly handed the merchant said price. To Namine, absolutely worth it. To Riku… Well… He didn't really care. Anything to make Namine happy, I guess.

"I'm finished," Namine started, tying the necklace around her neck, taking a moment to admire it as the cross rested on her collarbone, "Where to next?"

"Are you hungry?" Riku asked.

"A little," Namine started, "Why?"

"Let's go get some lunch!" And with that said, Namine gave Riku back his wallet and Riku lead Namine to a small shack next to the beach and the two walked in. The shack looked messy from the outside, but was very well taken care of on the inside. It had a tropical feeling and had hardly any people inside at all. In fact, most of the people already there were the people who actually worked there.

A host gave them a seat next to a very large window that covered the whole wall. Tiny beads strung together to make several palm trees hung over the window that overlooked the ocean neatly. All around the rest of the shack were large and small plants. There were four real palm trees inside, one in each corner of the room. On the opposite side of the room there was a large counter with seats and behind that was the kitchen. All the furniture seemed to be made out of wood and bamboo. Quite the restraint.

Once seated, they both ordered lunch and waited for a short five minutes before their food was done and set on the table in front of them. Everything looked delicious. Namine would defiantly be back here again the next chance she had.

"Impressive, huh?" Riku asked half way through the meal, swallowing before he opened his mouth to speak.

Namine smiled, "Thanks for taking me here!"

Riku swallowed another bite of food, "Again, you deserve it."

After the meal, much to Namines dismay, they left the little shack and ended taking a walk on the board walk that surrounded the beach. While taking the walk, they ignored the people on skates that flew by and screaming salesmen at hot dog stands. After a while, they strayed off onto the beach where nobody appeared to be. After half the whole day, they were alone.

Namine ended up taking off her shoes and throwing them into her bag, which she brought along, and letting her feet sit in the water for a while as she sat down right next to the ocean on the beach with Riku. A much needed rest after so much walking about.

"So…" Namine started, "Where to after this?"

Riku looked at her, "Where ever you want. I didn't plan much beyond this."

"Oh." Namine said, but didn't sound disappointed. This had been the most fun she'd had in a long time. School really was enough to make a person boring.

"Did you want to leave now?" Riku asked, looking away from her and gazing over the ocean.

"No, I'd like to stay just a bit longer." Namine closed her eyes and sighed peacefully, "Just being here alone with you is enough for now."

Riku looked at her again, "Whatever you say, Namine."

**000 **

After a while, Namine had rested enough and pulled herself to her feet, followed by Riku.

"Ready to leave already?" he laughed lightly at her.

"Not quite yet." Namine smiled sweetly at him as she took a step closer.

"Hm?" He tilted his head in question.

She rested her hands on his chest and kissed him lighty, smiling against his mouth.

Pulling away from a stunned Riku, she said, "Thank you."

"Uh…" He scratched the back of his head nervously, "No problem."

Namine wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest softly, taking a deep breath and relaxing when she felt his strong arms return the hug.

The oceans waters glittered behind them as they stood there for a while longer, ignoring time. They didn't know that while they were dilly dallying school had ended a half an hour ago. Namine's dad would be waiting for her at home to say goodbye before he left to work.

Namine looked up at Riku and smiled, her arms still firmly wrapped around his neck, and he smiled back. But a split second before he kissed her for a second time Namine's phone began to ring.

_Horrible timing! _Namine thought as she pulled away and apologized before she answered her phone. It was Kairi.

"Where are you?!" Kairi shrieked, "Your dad's holding my captive until you're back, and for your information my mom's expecting be to be home in 15 minutes!"

"I'm sorry." Namine glanced at her watch, "I wasn't aware-"

"I don't care! Just get your butt back here and save me!" Kairi whined.

"Alright, alright." Namine hung up the phone and turned to Riku, "I have to get home now."

"_Now?_" Riku looked distressed, "Really?"

Namine nodded and sighed.

Riku shook his head, "Okay, fine. I'll walk you back."

Namine smiled faintly and put her shoes back on, and then they were on their way again.

Once back and standing right in front of her house, Namine turned to Riku and hugged him one more time before she rushed inside to free Kairi.

But when she opened the door and looked inside, nobody was there. She didn't mind that Riku followed her in when he heard her sigh miserably.

"What's wrong?" He followed her into the dining room as she read a note that was left on the table.

"Nothing…" Namine continued reading. Riku leaned over her shoulder and read with her.

The note read:

_Sorry, but I've left already. Don't worry, Kairi went home. I'll see you tomorrow evening, I'm working late and all day again. _

_Sorry. _

"Nothing at all…" Namine repeated.

"I'll stay again another night." Riku suggested.

"I'd like that." Namine sighed and smiled at him.

_"I'd like that a lot." _

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: **Eh, not my best fluff but there's more soon, so… Yeah… Oh! And I almost forgot: I forgot the top reviewer of the last chapter! So I'll do both!

THE AWARDS P.1 

Top reviewer of chapter 14 is: **kenshinroks2111!!! **_Thanks for reminding me! ;)_

2nd place:V**olume-5!!!**

3rd place: **SK-Seeker!!!**

4th place:**mOOnlite-dUSk!!!!**

THE AWARDS P.2 

Top reviewer of chapter 15: **RMC168!!! **_You're so kind!_

2nd place: **sayshello3!!**

3rd place:**DXxkunoichiXkh2fanxXD!!!**

4th place:** SK-Seeker!!!!**

BOUT' ME 

:D I got a new MP3 player, so the I-pod player is over!!!! YES!

And… My friend's birthday is Friday! ((Breanna)) So the real Kim and I will be partying with her all weekend. XD I'm excited. Her dad's always taking us to the mall and buying us stuff whenever we visit. He's so nice!

SEE YOU LATER! **REVIEW! **

I've got FF 12 to get to now, bye!

Vaan and Panelo are SO CUTE! –cracker-jacks000 


	17. I doubt it

**A/N: **Oh jeez... You'd think I'd be in a better mood after Christmas...

Well, enough of me, I have some important stuff to say so please listen up.

MY HARD DRIVE HAS CRASHED!! Meaning, I have NO computer, and I've been living on the computer since I was, like, five years old. I'll still be able to update, at least twice a week, but I need all the motivation I can get because let me tell you, it won't be a joy ride.

Please, no one give up on me yet!!!! I've lost a few reviewers already over God-knows-what and miss em' loads. Like... Oath Of Oblivion and Anime Loverz, who've been gone forever and a half.

I'm trying really hard!!!! -cries more-

I'm skipping the replies to save time in this chapter.

**CHAPTER 17**

Morning the next day...

"Imposible!" Tidus gasped.

"I never thought I'd see this day." Kairi shook her head in disbelief.

"Unbelievable!" Namine stared blankly.

"This isn't happening, is it?" Sora balked.

"Aw, come on!" Roxas crossed his arms and huffed, "It's not like I actually did anything."

They all ignored him and continued to stare. For the first time in the history of-- Forever, Roxas had actually gotten his homework done.

"Answers? Anyone?" Roxas continued to wait for someones reply.

"It's about time." Olette smiled triumphantly. Maybe all her naging payed off.

"What force on Earth made you do your homework?" Riku lifted an eyebrow.

"Boredom." Roxas answered plain and simple.

"Bordom?!" Hayner wasn't buying it, ""Since when did you start getting bored?"

"Since Kim knocked me un-concious and I was sent home early to lie in bed all day with nothing to do, that's when." Roxas snapped.

"What?" Namine sighed, "How much can one person miss in one day?"

Sora shrugged, "I dunno."

Namine glared, "I wasn't asking for an answer."

"Jeez, I'm sorry." Sora laughed at her, "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, sleeping beuty?"

"Anyways," Riku stopped the two before Namine attacked, "You managed to do a ten page report in one day?"

Roxas nodded, "Uh-huh."

"Doing the impossible," Wakka started, "Sounds a lot like Roxas."

"Don'y prevoke me..." Roxas huffed again.

"Big words." Sora laughed.

Riku palmed his forehead, "I'm going to my lockar," he then turned to Namine, "Wanna come?"

Namine nodded and the two were off.

"Yeah, I'd better leave too." Kairi told, "It takes forever to reach the second floor with a broken leg."

"I'll help!" Sora chased after her.

"What a loversboy." Hayner sighed, "He's sentanced himself to a life of 'yes dear's."

Olette frowned at him, "Don't make fun of him!"

"Yes dear." Hayner obeyed.

Roxas laughed, feeling lucky he wasn't under some womans controll. Or... So he thought. Kim had him wrapped around that evil little finger of hers.

"Hayner," Olette started sweetly, "will you come wait in class with me?"

"Yes dear." Hayner repeated.

When they left Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Roxas were the only ones left in the loundge.

"Why is it when one person leaves the rest leave?" Roxas took a deep breath.

Wakka shrugged.

"Come on, Wakka," Tidus started, "the coach wanted to see us this morning, remember?"

"Yeah, okay," Wakka looked back at Selphie and Wakka, "Bye."

"But-" Roxas was cut off by Selphie's shouting.

"Wait for me, Tidus!" Selphie dashed after the two.

"Oh man..." Roxas sighed miserably, "What do I do now?"

And then, just when he was about to follow Wakka and Tidus outside, he spotted you-know-who out of the corner of him eye.

He snickered evilly and quietly tip-toed over to a spot where he could see what she was doing without being caught.

... But Kim wasn't easy to fool.

She turned around to face him, "And you are?"

"Memory problems?" Roxas asked, not at all suprised she caught him.

"Oh! I remember you!" Kim sounded even more evil today, "Your the punk Cid keeps going on about in math class."

"What about my name?" Roxas pressed.

Kim shook her head, "I only remember the important people. You're nothing special."

Roxas opened him mouth to speak, but was interupted by two girls behing him.

"Oh, Kim, who's this?" Roxas looked over his shoulder to see a girl from his math class talking, "What happened to Riku?"

Kim folded her arms and grunted, "Oh please, Breanna, I just met this dork."

"No, I met you the firstday you came back, remember?" Roxas corrected.

"That's right!" Kim then pointed at him, "You're that jerk who poked AND punched me!"

Roxas slapped his forhead.

Kim's second friend laughed, "That's Roxas from our 3rd period class, math."

"Bethanie's right." Breanna nodded her head in agreement.

"Roxas?" Kim cocked an eye brow.

"That's better!" Roxas grinned REAL wide, "Remember the name!"

"I doubt I will." Kim smirked and then began walking off, "I only remember the important people. You're nothing special."

Roxas scowled, "Two can play at that game."

**000**

Later in the same day, halfway through 2nd period, the office called Riku and Namine's Algebra class.

While the students sat quietly and worked, all but Riku who messed with Namine's cell phone, the teacher answered the call.

"Hello?" The teacher asked when she put the phone up to her ear, and then the voice on the other line began speaking.

"Uh-huh..." The teacher loked worried, "Yes, that's aright. I'll have her up in a minute." And then she hung up the phone and scaned the class for Namine.

Namine looked up at her and lifted an eye brow.

"Namine, your dad called and wants you home. You may grab your things and sign out in the office."

"Hm..." Namine grunted and then got up, yanking her cell phone from Riku and grabbing her back pack, which she refused to put in her locker 30 minutes before.

She left the room and Riku stared blankly, and then disapeared down the hall way.

Riku shook his head and continued goofing off.

**000**

Namine made her way down the hall way and to the office, where she signed out and then left the school, on her way back home where that god forsaken father of hers would be waiting. The one that still acted like a woman.

Also the same father she hadn't seen for over a month. The one who claimed to be at work the whole time. the one that wasn't really there anymore.

She spotted her house down the street and sighed miserably, quickening her pace and walking up the porch abd into her house. She threw her backpack by the door and put her cell phone away, dusting off her school uniform in the precess.

Asexpected, her dad was sitting on the couch in the living room for her.

_He didn't look normal..._

She took a deep breath and sat next to him, quiet as ever.

"So... I was thinking..." Her father suddenly spoke and she looked at him, "Well, I-uh... er..."

"Hm?" Namine tilted her head and cocked an eye brow.

"Okay..." Her father sighed deeply, "Let me start from the begining."

"I'm listening, oh-wise-one." Namine made a funny look.

Her father tried not to laugh, nor smile for that matter, "I know I've been _working _a lot lately, and havn't been spending much time with you so... I bought us a trip to Hawii! and all your friends are invited."

Namine nearly fell over, "_WHAT?!"_

"I'm not lying." Her father smiled akwardly.

If there was anything Namine and her worst ememy, Kim, had in common, it was that they were both hard to fool.

"Yeah, sure." She got up and shook her head, "Wake me up when we're there, I'm taking a nap."

"Namine, I'm not joking." Her father put on a serious face.

Namine froze and looked over her shoulder at him, "_Really?_" she still sounded bored, "I'm supposed to believe some stranger?"

"Stranger?"

"I haven't seen you in-how long? I'm not a dumb ass, dad. I know something's going on." Namine shot the same serious look back at him.

"Need proof?" Her father pulled out the stack of ticked and almost literally shoved them in her face, "There."

Namine stared, dumb founded, at the tickets that were in fact, real. (A/N: D Namine got OWNED!)

Her father then shoved the tickets in her arms and smirked, "Proof enough?"

Namine nodded slowly, and then looked at him, "You weren't joking?"

"Of cource not!" Her father smirked, "I've already put my tickets away. The rest are yours to give to whoever you want, just don't forget to save one for yourself."

Namine's smile then grew twice its size, and you could tell she wasn't thinking pure thoughts.

She then ran up the stairs and to her room as fast as humanly posible.

After she closed the door behind her, she totally freaked out and screamed for joy at the top of her lungs and spread the tickets out on her bed, labeling who got what ticket, Riku being first in line, and when she was finished, and she also made sure she had a ticket for herself, she noticed 2 extra tickets that she didn't have any need for. So, she folded them up and put them away, thinking she could sell them later for loads of money. She stuffed the rest in her back pack for the next day and made her way back down stairs where her father was, waiting in the kitchen this time.

"Hungry?" He asked as he watched her rumage through the cabnets.

Namine nodded at him, not bothing to look at him.

"Letme make something!" Her father snickered evilly, "I wana make pan cakes again!"

"No thanks." Namine nearly barfed. The 'secret ingreadiant' her father put in last time just wasn't worth it.

While Namine ate a sandwich she made herself, thankfully, her dad sat at the table across from her and began talking again, "Hurry up and hand out those tickets tomorrow, we're leaving in 2 weeks."

"Over winter vacation?" Namine looked up at him, "We're staying there over Christmas?"

Her father nodded, "Got a problem?"

Namine shook her head, "Nope. But everyones parents might."

Her father laughed, "Not my problem. Good luck!"

**000**

Around 2: 45 p.m, a few minutes past the time school gets out, Namine was downstairs watching T.V. while her father was at work again. She flipped through the channels lazily as her feet rested on the coffee table. She spent the whole day pretty much doing what she was doing now.

Earlier she'd been thinking about how to tell all her friends about the trip and how to get as much money as possible for those extra tickets (which she ignored telling her dad about on purpose). Sure, Hawaii was almost exactly the same as destiny islands, but Namine was thrilled anyways. Her father and her mother, who had passed away a month before summer, had gotten married in Hawaii. Of course she wasn't there (she wasn't born yet) but her Father had still yet to show her where the wedding was and such.

At least all this proved that he wasn't off with flirting when he claimed to be at work. That was a good thing.

Knocking her out of her lazy mood, the door bell rang and she immediately shot up. Literally jumping off the couch, she dashed to the door and swung it open with such force it nearly bounced off the wall and came back at her. She walked onto the porch, not bothering to shut the door, to meet both Riku and Sora.

"Hey." Riku waved.

Sora only mumbled something to quietly for Namine to hear, and Riku elbowed him in the side.

Namine smiled brightly and dragged the two inside, _literally_, and slammed the door behind them this time, pushing them into the living room and then telling them to hold on a second while she ran up stairs and grabbed something.

While alone, the two boys talked while waiting.

"What was that about?" Sora rubbed his side where Riku had elbowed him and grimaced.

Riku laughed at the expression, "Just act like you want to be here."

"But I don't!" Sora whined, "I wanna go see Kairi."

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Okay," Namine started as she entered the living room again, where said boys were, "I was going to wait till tomorrow but I guess now's okay." Namine was so excited it was almost scary, "Ta-da!" She then held out two tickets to Hawaii for both of them.

Sora eyed her, "What's _that_?"

Riku grabbed one of the tickets and stared wide-eyes at her "Are you kidding me?"

After giving the other ticket to Sora, who examined it closely, she answered, "Nope! Can you come?"

"OF COURSE I'M COMING!" Sora looked up at her and gave her a look that read: are-you-that-stupid?

"Yeah, I'll go too. My brother might end up following though." Riku informed.

"Great!" Namine danced in circles. As of the moment, it was hard to tell her apart from Selphie.

"What about Kairi?" Sora gave her pleading eyes.

"Yeah, she's coming." Namine continued smiling.

While Sora jumped for joy Riku stood up and smiled warmly at Namine, who smiled back and walked up to him.

"What's the occasion?" Riku asked.

Namine shrugged, "My dad likes to spend his money, I guess."

"When are we leaving?" Riku asked.

"Two weeks--- Over winter break and Christmas." Namine's smile wavered, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah!" Riku wiped a stray piece of hair out of her face.

Just as Namine was about to speak again Sora interrupted her, "Can I tell Kairi?"

"No! Or… Not till tomorrow." Namine said.

"Can I leave now, Riku?" Sora then frowned, "My mom's probably wondering where I am."

"Whatever." Riku laughed as Sora rushed out of the house.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: **I know, another short chapter/ Please, I beg of you, **_DON'T _**shoot me.

THE AWARDS 

Top reviewer of chapter 16 was:**RMC169!!!! **

2nd place:**sayshello3!!!**

3rd place: **Aska-Seeker!!**

4th place: **kenshinroks2111! **

AN IMPORTANT NOTE 

**_AS I said in the beginning authors note, my computer is –temporarily- broken. I've written this whole chapter on my friends lap top over the past week. My friend has offered to let me borrow the lap top as much as I need till I get another computer so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to update, but the lack of time is going to effect the length of my chapters. They should all be at least 2,000 words each though (not too short) if not more. I promise! I'm not going to think of all this as a bad thing though, more like a wake-up call. You could say it gives me more time to think about my plot and I can finally start getting to the main parts I have planned for the story. I swear I won't delete this story. Cross my heart! Even though my hard drive crashed, there's no reason this story shouldn't be continued. _**

**_Good (Ish) news at last! _**

BOUT' ME 

XD The guy I like waved at me the other day, but wasn't paying attention and ran right into the wall. Too bad I didn't have my camera or I would've posted it on my web site.

SEE YOU IN CHAPTER 18!! 

-cries- my friend wants her lap top back.

Can you do a back flip? 

No… 

Get out of my sight 

-Cracker-jacks000 


	18. Think

**A/N: **_YES! _I finally have a computer to use till my computer is fixed! -sigh- This makes things MUCH easier. XD Up until now I was using Kim's computer and Kristin's computer to do everything! HA!

**Aska-Seeker... **_Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy my story! Really? I can take my time? THANK YOU! Gosh, I've been in such a rush lately I don't know what to do with myself. Thank you times a million! I'm sorry my chapters will be short for a while though, I get irritated when chapters from stories are short so I appreciate your forgiveness. Thanks again!_

**Naminecrys4Riku... **_Heh heh, Roxas will have a girl soon enough -wink wink- And I've got a lap top to use for a while to update so I'll be fine. Thanks!_

**Alpha Male... **_I will update whenever I get the chance, I just have to! This is like the only story I haven't gotten bored with (Poor 'My neighbor Luffy' fans...) Thanks for your forgiveness. I hope you get internet sometime soon! Enjoy the chapter!_

**kenshinroks2111... **_I'll be fine for the time being. :3 I'm pretty content using my friends lap top. and I'll update every chance I get, I promise! Good luck with that paper._

**moonlightXIII... **_XD I'm glad you liked the 'yes dear' Idea! It came from a friend of mine a while ago. XD I can't do a backflip ether. That last comment in the last chapter was actually a conversation I over heard the other day. Adam's hilarious!_

**Animeloverz!!! **_YOU'RE BACK! -hugs and squeezes you- You got banned? Why? XD I'm glad you liked the 'yes dear' joke. My friend gave me the idea a while ago. Enjoy the chapter!_

P.S. _I know the fan fiction site wasn't sending e-mails for a while, but COME ON! (the people who reviewed don't have to read this, because they ROCK!) -sigh- Let me tell you, I thought all of a sudden I lost 60 percent of my reviewers just like that. Jeez, give me a heart attack why don't cha!_

_(mumbling is heard in harsh tones-- Not in a very good mood)_

_ENJOY! and REVIEW! GAH!_

**CHAPTER 18 **

The next day Riku and Namine walked to school together as usual, and deep in conversation.

Namine absolutely couldn't wait to tell everyone they're all going to Hawaii! She couldn't even imagine the looks on everyone's faces in her head. And the fact that they were leaving some-what soon was thrilling! She couldn't believe things could be flipped upside down like that so fast.

Now entering the school flooded with students all wearing almost the exact same thing, they found there way to Student lounge room #4 and walked inside, where everyone already was waiting for them.

"Hi!" Namine greeted them all cheerfully, full of bliss and happiness as she threw her back pack to the side and sat down next to Riku where everyone else was.

"What's up?" Kairi asked suspiciously, "Why are you all of a sudden jolly?"

Namine whistled, "You'll see!"

Riku and Sora only chuckled.

Selphie grew impatient with each passing second, "come on! tell us what it is!"

"Yeah, the bell will ring any minute now! There's no way I could wait till lunch!" Kairi whined with Selphie.

"Please?" Olette clasped her hands together and pleaded.

"Alright!" Namine gave in quickly, being excited to see their reaction. Namine dug through her back pack and pulled out a ticket for each of them, and spread them out in front of her and the others so everyone could see.

They all leaned forward and examined the tickets closely, puzzled looks plastered on their faces.

"What's this?" Tidus tilted his head and questioned.

Roxas looked at him stupidly, "It's called a ticket, Idiot."

"What's it for?" Kairi picked up one of the tickets and then looked up at Namine.

Namine squealed, "My dad bought us all a trip to Hawaii!" Namine then jumped up and down.

Selphie joined her, "AWSOME!" she shrieked.

"F-for real?" Hayner stared wide-eyed.

Riku answered for Namine, considering she was a little_ busy_, "Yeah. I don't know why, he just did."

"This isn't some horrible joke?" Kairi questioned, still not believing much of it.

"Nope." Riku shook his head, "The tickets out of here are real."

"When are we leaving?" Hayner picked up a ticket of his own.

"The day before winter break, and we'll be there till the day after Christmas." Riku answered.

"Christmas?" Tidus looked disappointed, "I don't know if my dad will let me leave after Christmas..."

"I'm sure he won't care." Sora shrugged.

"Yeah, sure." Tidus rolled his eyes, "Thanks Namine! I'll see if I can go."

"I know I can go!" Kairi squealed in excitement, "I don't care if my parents don't want me to, I'm going!"

Namine smiled really wide and Kairi joined the dance.

Olette scratched her head, "I still don't get it..."

"You don't have to!" Namine sang, "We're going to Hawaii and that's that."

"This is awesome!" Tidus rejoiced.

"Frigin' sweet!" Roxas said guyishly.

"How'd you get your dad to buy you this many tickets to Hawaii?!" Hayner questioned.

Namine looked just as clueless as him, "I dunno. He just did."

"Seriously?" Roxas cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Namine repeated.

Olette then checked his watch, "We should start heading to class now. The bells going to ring in 3 minutes."

Everyone took a ticket and put them away safely in their back packs where they wouldn't get lost. Then they left the room one by one, Tidus and Wakka went up the first stair case while kairi made her was to the office and Sora and Hayner went up the second stair case. Selphie and Olette disappeared down one of the hallways while Namine and Roxas were left in the room still gathering their things.

But before Roxas left, Namine stopped him and held up two extra tickets for him, "Here." She said.

Roxas took them in his hands, "Hm?" He questioned.

"I need you to sell them for me. Is that okay? I don't have any time. They were just extra."

Roxas shrugged and put the two tickets in his back pack, "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks." Namine smiled and left first, followed by Roxas and then they went their separate ways.

**000 **

Near the end of class, and almost lunch, Namine sat at her desk and worked quietly while Riku sat at his desk dead bored, tapping his pencil against the desk and counting seconds. The teacher was currently out of the room, visiting with the teacher next door for a minute or two while her students worked. Roxas and Kim sat in the very back of the class, forcefully placed next to each other because of their sparing at the beginning of the class period. _bad idea. _They spent the whole hour scowling at each other. Heh, and all they were fighting over to start with was a pencil.

Anyways, class went on and everyone continued doing what they were doing till the bell rang signaling the end of class and the start of lunch.

_Finally! _Riku thought to himself as he immediately shot up from his desk and grabbed his things. He then offered Namine a hand up from her desk and she took it while grabbing her own things and smiling sweetly at him.

Walking out of the class hand-in-hand, they made their way down several hallways of the second floor and then down to the bottom floor where they headed to the lunch room and met Sora and the others at a table some-what in the middle of the room.

"I forgot-- Do we have blitz ball practice today?" Riku asked as he sat down with Namine next to Roxas.

Roxas shook his head, "No. But we've got practice tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and the-" Roxas was cut off.

"I get it." Riku rolled his eyes and Namine frowned.

"Why so much practice again?" Namine asked.

"We've got another game next week. It we lose; no Bahamas."

"Oh." She sighed.

"Don't worry, one game next week and another in January and it'll be over." Riku smiled at her, "No more the rest of the year."

Namine sighed in relief, and then looked at him, "Don't you ever get tired?"

Riku laughed, "Well yeah! But that's what sleep is for."

Namine giggled a little and then looked across the table at kairi, "Where's Sora?"

Kairi frowned, "I don't know... He disappeared after 1st period. Will you help me look for him? Pleeeeaaaaase?"

Namine smiled, "Yeah, of course!"

Kairi smiled back and then the two were off right after Namine said goodbye to Riku.

"So..." Roxas tried to start a conversation, "Wanna buy a ticket to Hawaii?"

Riku laughed at him like he was some kind of Idiot, "No, I've already got one! Selling your ticket?"

"No- not mine," Roxas paused for a second, "Namine said she had two extra tickets and wants me to sell them for her, but I don't know where to start."

"Ask Kim, she may be evil but her dad's nearly a frickin' millionaire." He exaggerated.

"No way in hell!" Roxas disagreed, "I don't care how much money she has."

"Suit yourself," Riku rolled his eyes and got up to leave, "It's not my problem anyways."

As Riku left and soon disappeared out of sight, Roxas pondered for a while to come up with something. He could ask his Math Teacher, Cid, but he'd be mental if he actually thought he'd say yes. He could ask the local cops walking around after school but would most likely get in trouble, considering he 'just happened' to be around when Axel And Reno decided to set fire to/ blow up something important. He'd sell the tickets online but sadly, Axel and Reno destroyed his computer too. He could just give them back to Namine but that'd be too risky; he might get "The Look." Asking his couch would be an option, but the girls would hate him. This WAS supposed to be Vacation, after all.

He was in quite the situation.

Shoving the problem aside for a minute, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. It was nothing important, really. He just couldn't stop thinking about that awesome new skateboard he got over the weekend after saving up money for what seemed like years. Oh, what he would GIVE to be on it this second; the wind blowing in his spiked blonde hair, the rush of adrenalin, the chance to show off his awesome skills, Uh, you get it I'm sure. Sometimes, it seemed like Roxas had a simple one-track mind.

But he also could help drifting off in thought about the people he loved the most.

_Girls._

Oh, he couldn't live without them. Kim, he could live without. But girls in general, he desired. But his last real girlfriend had been forever and a half ago. He just didn't have the time, he guessed. Simple as that.

He yawned and got up a few minutes after Riku had left, stretching his legs and ignoring the fan girls he didn't know he had. Roxas wasn't the type to sit around and notice things.

After stretching his muscles, he walked out of the lunch room and unto the main, crowded student lounge where students from various grades hung out and finished work, some of them walking about in groups or couples. Roxas didn't take time to notice that Kim was staring at him from some distance and continued down one of the hallways to the smaller student lounges and stopped at the usual one he kicked back in and shut the door behind him.

As expected, a few of his friends were already there. Sora, Riku, Selphie, and Wakka to be specific.

Sora looked up at Roxas as he lazily sat down next to him, "What's up?" He asked.

Roxas grunted in reply and leaned back into the couch, relaxing with his feet crossed on the coffee table in front of them.

"So what were you trying to say again, Riku?" Sora asked, continuing their conversation before Roxas arrived and Wakka sighed as he leaned forward and rested his head in his palms.

"Oh, right. Kairi left looking for you." Riku told, flicking his wrist and leaning against the wall behind the rounded couch.

"What!?" Sora shot up and began to walk to the exit of the room.

"You don't have to freak," Riku laughed, "I'm sure she's given up by now."

Sora glared harshly at Riku, "That's even worse!"

Riku laughed harder, "What are you waiting for? Go look for her before she gets violent."

Sora shuddered, and then left the room at once, and hatefully walked into the main lounge to look for his girlfriend.

"Yeah, I better go find Tidus, he's still probably grieving over 'almost' getting kicked off the blitz ball team this morning over miss-use of the ball." Wakka looked up and used the arm rest to pull himself to his feet.

"Whatever." Riku flicked his wrist again.

With that, Wakka was gone, and Roxas closed his eyes and rested his head on the very end of the couch as he leaned into the cushions further, so his head was nearly hanging over the edge of the couch.

"And then there were two." Riku pushed off the wall he was leaning on and gripped the edge of the couch, swinging his legs over and jumping to the front of the couch and sitting next to a half sleeping woman-crazy skater-punk.

Roxas kept his eyes closed firmly and took a deep breath of the moist air in response.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, waving a hand over the boys face.

When Riku pulled away his hand Roxas opened his eyes and gazed up at the ceiling, breathing deeply to keep himself calm, "Man, I don't know anymore. Just having a bad day, i guess."

"Why's that?" Riku asked, also leaning back into the couch and resting his arms on the couches arm rest.

Roxas continued to stare at the blank ceiling, "I just am. Too much thinking, I guess."

Riku laughed, "And what have you been thinking about?"

Roxas took another deep breath, "Stuff."

Suddenly, the door to the quiet little room they were in flew open and slammed into the wall, making a full 180 with some strong force.

"_You!_" A feminine voice scowled.

Roxas tilted his head all the way back to he was looking upside down at the person who had entered the room and broke his trance.

Riku looked over his shoulder and grimaced at the sight of the she-devil they called Kim. He immediately got up and excited the room before Kim could even say anything to him. But much to his surprise, he wasn't the one she wanted at the moment, making his escape easy. Thank the dear, dear lord.

"And you are?" Roxas repeated her own words from a while before.

"Don't even start!" Kim pointed her finger at him and came close, so close in fact, her pointed finger was pressed against his upside-down forehead.

Roxas smirked and got Kims second scowl in the process.

"Roxas, you're an ass!" Kim removed her finger from his forehead and folded her arms.

"You remembered my name?" Roxas pretended to be impressed, "I'm glad to see you're not calling me 'that guy' anymore."

"Don't change the subject!" Kim gave him a look that would make even the devils blood run cold, "I know it was you!"

"Hm?" Roxas questioned, fully amused when she hissed at him again.

"It's not nice to take other people's things without asking!" Kim barked at him.

"And since when were you ever nice to me, hm?" Roxas pressed her nerves more.

"Don't act like you didn't start it!" Kim pointed at him again, this time her pointer pressing against his nose.

"Start what?"

She then poked him in the eye.

"Owch!" Roxas moaned and sat up straight again so the back of his head was facing him and he held his face up, "What was that for?!"

"Don't be a smart ass!" Kim then slapped him across the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Roxas then rubbed the back of his head and looked at her, "Quit it, will you?!"

"Not until you give it back!" Kim held out her hand waiting for the item she desired to be placed in her hand.

"I'm not joking, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Roxas continued to rub the back of his head while he complained.

"You mean--- You didn't take it?" Kim lowered her hand and tilted her head in confusion.

"Duh!" Roxas acted as through she were stupid.

Kim examined his face for any signs he might be lying and found none, "Whatever. You win this time."

As soon as she left Roxas started laughing uncontrollably, totally grateful he had the best poker face on planet Earth. He'd escaped her wrath, this time...

He then dug into his pocket and pulled out a golden chained bracelet with a platinum stone hanging from the glittery chain. This was what Kim wanted back. This was what he took when she wasn't looking in class today because she continued to press his buttons.

He'd give it back... When he felt like it.

**+To Be Continued+ **

**A/N: **I hope you liked it:3 I wrote this chapter with my new "rented" lap top. It should serve me well till my computer get's fixed up. No more problems should occur so my updates will continue to come, so long as I get at least 8 REVIEWS per chapter. Even though my computer is currently defective, that doesn't mean I expect any less.

THE AWARDS!

The top reviewer of chapter 17 was: **Animeloverz!!!! **

2nd place:**Aska-Seeker!!! **

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!! **

4th place: **moonlightXIII! **

BOUT' ME

I've been working on my drawing skills lately. I haven't drawn/sketched anything in a while and i forgot how good I was! Still no match for Kelly (Favorite author) but I'm gettin' there.

Japanese is proving to be difficult. :( Yickes.

CHALLANGE!

_I wanna see how nice ya'll can be. The review that makes me smile/laugh the most will win top reviewer of the next chapter and will be guarantied 3rd place after that, if not higher. The review doesn't have to be long, but CAN if you want it to. I just wanna test ya'll. _

REVIEW!

I'm outa here! XD My friends need me at the frozen lake A.S.A.P!

The word 'PUMPKIN' drives me insane!-Cracker-Jacks000


	19. shocked?

**A/N: **XD Took long enough but I got 8 reviews. Lol...

Oh! This was something I was planning on telling all of you in the last chapter, but I'll just do it now. In my story, as you could guess, everyone's a few years older than they are in the game. So here are their ages:

Namine: 16 and a half

Kairi: 16 and a quarter.

Hayner: 16 and three quarters.

Roxas: 17

Riku: 17

Sora: 16 and a half.

Axel: 18

Reno: 18

Wakka and Tidus: 16

Selphie: almost 16

Kim: almost 17

Kim's prep friends: 16 and a half

Yuffie, Leon, Cloud, and Aerith: 18

Pence: 16 and three quarters.

On to the replies!

**Naminecrys4Riku... **_I can't wait till I can finally give Roxas a girl too! XD Toy-ish fun comes my way... MWAHAHA!_

**kenshinroks2111... **_XD I liked how I ended it too! It was supposed to be a part in the next chapter but I decided to do this chapter differently so I added it to the end of that chapter. XD Lol, don't worry, it will NEVER take me a month to update. twoweeks at max! -cries- I have a paper due too! WHA!_

**Aska-seeker... **_XD I'm glad you liked it! Lol, I did the same thing to one of my friends but she caught me. Have a great weekend! _

**(2 reviews) chefbekah1304... **_Thank you for reviewing both chapters, it's thanks to you I actually decided to update. XD Enjoy the chapter. _

**Volume-5... **_I'm so sorry!!! –Cries, and cries more- I didn't realize you felt I was forcing you to review. Sorry! But I'm glad you liked the last part of that chapter:D actually partially the real Kims idea. Enjoy this chapter! _

**Animeloverz... **_Lol, I'm glad you liked the chapter! Japanese IS difficult. ;/ maybe I should switch to French. Lol, enjoy the chapter! _

**Breanna… **_Finally you review! Heh, sorry about the 'Miss Brosmore' thing, your last name was all I could think of! Lol, enjoy. _

**CHAPTER 19!**

_(A/N!!! Already!? GASP!)_

_(P.s. This Chapter is also pretty much about what everyone's going to do all day -split up in parts-)_

**_Kim examined his face for any signs he might be lying and found none, "Whatever. You win this time."_**

**_As soon as she left Roxas started laughing uncontrollably, totally grateful he had the best poker face on planet Earth. He'd escaped her wrath, this time..._**

**_He then dug into his pocket and pulled out a golden chained bracelet with a platinum stone hanging from the glittery chain. This was what Kim wanted back. This was what he took when she wasn't looking in class today because she continued to press his buttons._**

**_He'd give it back... When he felt like it._**

The next day went by quickly, considering it was a half day and everyone was sent home just before lunch time. About an hour before noon, giving everyone a chance to hang out around town with their friends for a few hours till their parents expected them home.

Namine was off with Riku at the cute little shack again for lunch and Wakka, Tidus, and Roxas were practicing blitz ball on the beach while Axel and Reno watched, bored out of their minds because the sand wouldn't set fire. Sora and Kairi were off flirting somewhere out of sight while Selphie danced around town in all her hyper glory. Hayner was buying Olette sea-salt ice cream somewhere around the plaza in the middle of town and Kim and her preppy friends were most likely in the mall doing whatever it is they like to do.

**To Namine and Riku!**

"Mmmm!" Namine savored the food she'd put in her mouth and then swallowed, "I love this place!"

Riku laughed and stared lovingly at her the whole time while she enjoyed the lunch he'd bought for her, admiring the joy he saw in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. God, he felt lucky. This was defiantly going to be the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He was sure of it. She was beautiful even when she was eating like a pig.

She looked up at him suddenly, her mouth still full of food, "Hm?" She hummed, as if to question what he wanted.

He shook his head, "I'm fine, continue..."

She shrugged and began stuffing her face again, nearly finished with her meal. Once finished, she took a deep breath and sighed peacefully, wiping off her face and sighing peacefully again.

"Thanks!" She smiled at him as he got up and held out a hand for her, which she took and got to her feet.

He smiled back, "No problem!"

"Where to now?" She asked as they walked out of the small building.

"You pick." He shrugged.

Namine pointed a finger at him, "Nuh-uh! You can't do that, I asked you first!"

"Fine..." Riku put his hands in his pockets and sighed in easy defeat, "Wanna go see a movie? I got enough money left that we could probably get some pop corn t_o_-" He was cut off by Namine.

"Yeah!" She immediately agreed, "Let's go!" She then grabbed his hand and they were off to the mall that was near the plaza, which was a few blocks away from the beach where they were at.

**To Tidus, Wakka, Roxas, and the every bored Reno and Axel!**

Reno fell back in the sand and threw his head up to the sky, "_I'm so damn bored!_" He moaned loudly, making sure Roxas would hear him.

"_Me too!_" Axel also moaned loudly, playing along.

Roxas turned around, "Shut-up! You wanted to come!" Roxas then turned back to the game as the ball flew towards him, "And quit talking like zombies."

"But we're _so _bored, Roxas!" Reno moaned even louder than the first time.

"And quit repeating yourselves!" Roxas added.

"Roxas..." Axel snickered evilly, thinking of a plan, "Don't make me call you by your mothers nick-name. Don't think I won't do it cuz I will!"

Roxas turned to look at him again, a look of sheer terror on his face, "Don't!"

"Do et'!" Reno teased, "Time to pick on Roxas!"

"Yeah, I wanna hear it!" Wakka and Tidus said in union, ignoring the ball for a minute and letting it role away to the side.

"No, don't do it!" Roxas began to run at the two bored 'friends' of his.

Axel in-haled, getting ready to shout it.

"NOOO!" Roxas jumped to tackle Axel, but was too late.

Just before he jumped on Axel he blurted it out, "Roxie!!!"

Roxas was now furious as Reno began laughing so hard he was rolling around holding his stomach and Tidus and Wakka were leaning on each other to keep balance, "_Roxie_? Some nick name!" They teased.

"Roxie, Roxie, Roxie!" Axel laughed as Roxas tackled him and began pounding him into the sand, which didn't work because he kept missing, being so angry he wasn't thinking and his aim was off. All he'd really managed to do was tackle Axel to the ground and kicked Reno in the side, who was now scolding him for ripping a small hole in his new shirt.

"Shut-up!" Roxas said again, trying to pull at Axels hair and punch him some more, but Axel simply pushed him off.

As Roxas tried to sit up and attack again, something golden and silver fell out of his pocket and froze.

"Ohhh!" Reno grabbed hold of the trinket before Roxas could even reach for it. Reno then sat up and admired the bracelet, which belonged to a Kim he didn't know, and began laughing, "So you have a girlfriend again? Finally!"

"I _do not_!!" Roxas ripped it out of Reno's hand and stuffed it in his pockets, and then he got up and began walking away grumpily, thinking about how he'd get them back.

"H-hey, wait!" all four boys chased after him.

"_What?!_" he asked coldly.

"How about we forget about the whole blitz ball thing and go hang out at the mall. It'll give us something to do!" Axel and Reno suggested, and then laughed, "We promise we won't tease you!"

"Whatever." Roxas rolled his eyes and they were all off in the direction of the mall.

**To Selphie!**

Selphie sang as she danced down the streets to the mall, "I love chocolate!" Were the only words in her song, which she'd made up in a matter of 2 seconds, and she sung it off-tune, "I love chocolate!"

She continued dancing and singing in the direction of the mall.

"I love chocolate!"

**To Sora and Kairi!**

"I'm _so_ glad to be out of there!" Sora sighed in relief as he walked with Kairi down his street, nearing his home.

"Me too," Kairi followed him down the street, keeping pace with him, "The teachers looked angry today. My first period teacher looked at me like she wanted to shoot me."

Sora laughed, "Yeah, sure."

Kairi sounded offended, "I'm not lying!" She quickened her pace so she'd be looking at him.

"Yeah, sure." Sora repeated.

"You're mean." She pouted.

Sora stuck his tongue out and yet again repeated, "Yeah, sure."

Kairi only crossed her arms and pouted further.

"Alright, alright." Sora put both his hands up in surrender, "I'm quit. _Sorry_."

Kairi smiled at him sweetly. He cocked an eyebrow at this, "Hey, Sora."

"Yes Kairi?" He smiled back, although it was his usual obnoxious grin. The cheesy one.

"You're gonna kick butt at your next blitz ball game." Kairi's copied Soras corny grin.

"Yeah, I know." Sora laughed.

"And---- I'll cheer for you." Kairi's smile turned into an innocent one.

"I hope so." Sora laughed at her switching smiles, it seemed she couldn't make up her mind.

"A-and… You'll make it to the Bahamas too!" Kairi's smile switched again to an excited one.

Sora scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, in like, the middle of January. That's about a month from now; don't get your hope up. I'm not THAT good."

"How can you say that?!" Kairi's eyes widened and she balked at him, "You're like, the best player on the team!"

"No, _Roxas _is. That's why they call him the 'star player' you know…" Sora informed, but Kairi only frowned.

"Nuh-uh!" She argued.

"Uh-huh!" He argued back.

"So_ra_."

"Kai_ri_."

"Y-you're…" She cocked for words and crossed her arms again, growling, "Here I am, _trying _to make you feel awesome and you're, _like_, arguing with me!"

She tried to continue but Sora shushed her by interrupting, "Kairi, we're at my house. I kinda, Y'know, have to leave now."

"B-b-b-b-but-"

"You can come inside, if you want." He offered.

"Can't we go to the mall or something? We have a half day, and you wanna go be a lazy bum and sit on your couch… With your mother?" Kairi ranted, "Are you really going to make me go to the mall _alone. Isolated. By myself. With a broken leg. Without **you**_,-"

"Okay, okay." Sora stopped her, "I get it, I'll go."

Kairi smiled brightly, "Really?"

"Yes. Really." Sora shook his head and took the deep breath of defeat. Yes, he was beaten, again, by his girlfriend. Typical Kairi.

"Just let me go _Wha-?"_ Before Sora could finish Kairi had wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly, nuzzling her face in his chest. Shocked as he was, he just stood there; hands out to the side, confused expression on his face, taken back a bit. It took him a moment to realize what happened. And she was hugging him with all her strength too, considering her crutches were now on the ground and she was struggling to keep herself up. He aided her in this by wrapping his strong arms around her waist, and she worked her arms up around his neck for better support. Now standing on one leg, but in Sora's arms, Kairi rested on his chest and closed her eyes. He didn't want to question, but found that he was anyways, "Kairi?"

She looked up at him, "Hm?" She hummed.

He wanted to ask what she was doing, or why she was doing it. But all that came out was, "Are you okay?"

"Of course!" She said, "Am I not allowed to hug you?" she asked sarcastically under her breath.

"No! I'm just a little… _shocked._" Sora blushed and looked to the side, so he wouldn't be looking at her eyes.

But she tightened her hold around his neck so she could lift one hand to turn his face back towards hers, and she left his hand rested on the side of his face when she got him to look at her. Playing with the spiky pieces of hair that fell over her fingers, she smiled warmly and giggled a little, "_Sora…_"

He held onto her tighter when he felt she was about to slip, "Yeah?" He asked.

She said nothing, but only leaned in closer, now slowly running her fingers though his hair as he neared closer to her too. Before they knew it, their lips were just centimeters away and their noses were touching.

"Thank you." She whispered again, still giggling softly. She was amused that Sora was so tense and was short of breath. It made her feel like she had a effect on him. Which she did, a little more than she'd expect.

Sora took in deep breaths, Kairi was terrifying. Yes, he loved her, but the fact that she could make him this jumpy scared him. Scared him a lot. Her hand slipped down to his cheek again and began to caress it. Sora's skin burnt under the touch of her soft hands and his face turned red again as he admired her beauty. Lucky, that's what he was.

How had he managed to kiss her all those times before? Everything about her made him nervous, yet love struck all at the same time. Tightening his grip once more, he lifted her up against his chest even more to keep her from falling. Oddly, he actually didn't mind when she was this close anymore. He was still nervous, but not as much as before. Warming up, he guessed.

Staring into those eyes of hers, he found himself lost again. Dizzy. In a trance. She was just that gorgeous! And… He should be saying this out loud! But he cocked on words again.

Kairi hummed as she continued to caress his cheek, not noticing Sora had been trying to speak the past few minutes, or however long they were there. When she looked Sora in the eyes, she began to blush herself. The way he looked at her made her think about how blessed she was.

"I love you."

The words had escaped Sora's mouth, if not faintly. He'd said it just loud enough for her to hear.

She smiled warmly at him, still locked with his blue eyes, and then he couldn't take it anymore. He kissed her on the lips lightly, tilting his head slightly and her and went back to its original spot; around his neck.

He pulled away after a few seconds, which seemed too soon for Kairi and she sighed. So he kissed her again, and again, and again.

Soon after he'd pulled away for good, he helped her get her crutches and the two borrowed Sora's mom's car again, and were off to the mall.

Heh, who knew Sora, could drive with one hand. While he had one hand on the wheel, the whole way to the mall his other hand was holding Kairi's. They didn't talk much the drive there, did they need too. A few glances and giggles was enough. Enough for now…

** To Kim and her preppy friends… (_BOO!)_**

The girls had already been at the mall, trying on clothing and spending all Kims dad's money, as usual. Kim was _very _spoiled. And her friends got a cut too, considering they followed Kim around every waking moment and bowed to her feet. They seemed like suck ups to Kim most of the time, but they were still friends none the less. She'd known them since pre-school.

Anywho, they were currently wandering around aimlessly looking for a place that they haddent already gotten bored of yet, a place where they could spend even more money. It was obvious random conversation was going to strike sooner or later but Kim was suppressed by the subject they picked.

"So, I thought you said Roxas was un-important." Breanna giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Kim cocked an eyebrow.

"You remembered his name. And you could NOT stop talking about him yesterday." Bethanie giggled too.

"Yeah, because he stole from me! I still don't believe that he didn't take my bracelet." Kim growled at the thought of that horrible boy.

"Oh, come on!" Bethanie teased, "You _like_ him, you _like _him." Bethanie was singing the word.

"Do not!" Kim hissed.

"Do Too!" Her two friends said in unison.

Kim growled more, "I don't know what it is, but something about him really pisses me off," Kim folded her arms, "It's like he was born just to get in my way."

"_Still_ after Riku?"

"Namine is the one that's still after him; she doesn't stand a chance next to me." Kim smirked devilishly, "Oddly, she doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore," Kim then grimaced, "It's that dumb ass Roxas I need to get rid of!"

"Whatever, Kim." Breanna rolled her eyes and the girls continued shopping.

**To Roxas, Tidus, Wakka, Axel, and Reno! **

The walk to the mall was incredibly slow, so much so that Roxas was so bored he began counting the cars that passed by, much to everyone's nerves.

"Car…" He mumbled, slouching over.

Tidus huffed and tried to ignore Roxas.

"Car…" Roxas mumbled again.

Wakka slapped his forehead and also tried his best to ignore Roxas.

"Car…"

Axel was about to march over and hit Roxas, but Reno stopped him.

"Car…"

"Roxas quit it." Reno sighed irritability.

"CAR!" Roxas scowled at Reno and shouted obnoxiously.

"Shut up!" Tidus and Wakka yelled.

"Yeah!" Axel agreed.

"Car…" Roxas continued.

"That's it!" Axel began chasing after Roxas, which was soon joined by Wakka, Tidus, and Reno.

At least they'd make it to the mall faster.

**To Hayner and Olette! **

Hayner and Olette were also already at the mall, sitting on a bench somewhere on the top floor next to the theater eating Sea-Salt ice cream until two of their friends showed up.

"Hey." Hayner called out, catching the attention of Riku and Namine who looked like they were headed for the theater.

Riku and Namine stopped, and then waved as Hayner helped Olette up, who was still finishing off her ice cream, and the two walked next to Riku and Namine's side, "What's up?" He asked.

"We were going to go see a movie." Namine giggled and looked at Riku, who smiled lovingly back.

Olette tried to hold back her, "_Aww_."

"Mind if we join?" Hayner asked, starting quizzically at Namine. Olette elbowed him in the side.

"Sure, you can come. Why not?" Namine giggled more.

"But you're paying for yourself." Riku warned.

Hayner was about to speak, but was interrupted by a loud shriek coming from behind them.

"_ROXAS!" _Axel yelled as Roxas ran towards them, away from the group, laughing.

"Oh jeez…" Riku and Hayner slapped their foreheads, "not again."

Much to Namine's dismay, Roxas wasn't paying attention to where she was going and he ran right into her, causing both of them to fall to the ground with an alarming **_THUD! _**

****

"Ow…" Namine pushed Roxas off of her and rubbed her head as Riku quickly sank to his knees to see if she was okay. He helped her up while Axel literally attacked Roxas. And to think, this was all just over… never mind.

Olette covered her mouth and gasped, the rest of her ice cream now falling to the ground, and Hayner continued to look away, embarrassed that he even knew the boys.

And then, the bracelet fell out of Roxas's pocket again just as Kim had walked by, and she became furious.

"I knew it!" She barked, and then joining Axel in the beating up of Roxas, who continued to laugh through the pain.

Why did everything always turn out like this?

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

****

** A/N: **You know how hard it was to NOT update because of waiting for 8 reviews? This chapter was done almost a week ago, and I had to hold it until I reached 186 reviews. I could've updated so much sooner! –cries- Don't make me be mean!

OH! And I thought about this story lately and I think I'm doubting it. It seems as though most of you are bored with the story. If there's any suggestions you want to make, please tell me!

P.s. XD My friends and I made a web site about up that'll be up soon, and have our profiles, pictures, and videos we recorded of us goofing around. It'll be fun. I'll tell you all as soon as it's finished and you can check it out.

AWARDS 

Top reviewer of chapter 18 was: **Aska-Seeker! **

2nd place: **Anime loverz!**

3rd place: **Volume-5! **

4th place: **chefbekah1304! **

A PREVIEW 

-Cries- I didn't really do much for Christmas for ya'll, did I? Well, to make up for it, I'll let you chose one out of the following that I'll send you in the review replies.

1.) More Roxas and you-know-who fluff.

2.) A few Spoilers about what I plan to do in Hawaii

3.) Give me an idea, and I'll use it in one of my chapters (Varies though)

4.) Or a dedicated chapter (Your screen name will be the title of the chapter)

REVIEW! I'll see you in chapter 20! 

p.s. Give me some ideas on what I should do for all of you when I reach 200 reviews!

LOL, one of my friends online saw a picture of me and said I was cute –screams and falls over- - Cracker-Jacks000 


	20. Because

**A/N: **I'm glad you all liked the last chapter:D I'm very happy reviews came quickly! Ya'll R awesome! WHOO!

The replies…

**Volume-5… **_Thanks for reviewing! I sent you the fluff. XD Hope you liked it. I've got more if you want more. Since you already know –wink- I guess you can have as many spoilers as you want XD. Enjoy the chapter! _

**Hanakitsunechan7…** _Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like my story! Enjoy the chapter! _

**Kenshinroks2111… **_XD Lol, thanks for makin' me laugh! –sigh- crazy relatives, I know how you feel. XD I CAN'T STAND my thirteen year-old uncle in Seattle. –sighs unbearably- he's an insane jerk! Lol, enjoy the chapter! _

** mOOnlite-dUSk… **_XD Shh! don't tell! –wink wink- Enjoy the chapter! _

**The Hot Guitar Playing Mena-… **_EEK! Don't say that word! Drives me INSANE! _

**Sayshello3… **_AW! Thank you! 10/10 huh? Thanks! And it's okay your computer wouldn't let you review, T.T just glad it will now. Enjoy the chapter! _

**Aska-Seeker… **_XD That's a good idea, if I've got the time, I might do that in the A/N next chapter. XD But you'll have to E-mail me and lend your brilliant hand. XD I know, I had to put Reno and Axel in the Story, like, right away! I was bout' to explode into a million little pieces. Enjoy the chapter! _

**Naminecrys4riku… **_XD I'm getting closer and closer to Roxas x Mystery girl! Can't wait! (although, you might be shocked) fluff to come, and in this chapter too! Only, it's Riku x Namine this time around. XD enjoy! _

**Kitten262… **_ :D Aw, thank you:D Enjoy the chapter! _

**Alpha male… **_It's okay you didn't review, I know how it feels to have your computer go berserk… Just glad you're back! Enjoy the chapter! _

****

****

**Chapter 20 **

****

**_Olette covered her mouth and gasped, the rest of her ice cream now falling to the ground, and Hayner continued to look away, embarrassed that he even knew the boys. _**

**__**

**_And then, the bracelet fell out of Roxas's pocket again just as Kim had walked by, and she became furious. _**

**__**

**_ "I knew it!" She barked, and then joining Axel in the beating up of Roxas, who continued to laugh through the pain. _**

**__**

**_ Why did everything always turn out like this? _**

****

Sora and Kairi suddenly showed up at the mall right in the middle of the fight. Sora helped Kairi over to where Olette and Hayner were, and they stared blankly.

"Uh…" Sora pointed, "What's going on?"

"I don't know…" Hayner sighed, "Roxas was being… _"Roxas" _again."

"Who're they?" Namine asked Riku, pointing at the two red heads.

"Axel and Reno, told you they'd show up sooner or later." Riku sighed miserably, "I just didn't think like _this_…"

Axel continued pounding away at Roxas, until Roxas pushed both Axel and Kim off, "Jeez, I wasn't being _that_ annoying."

"Give me back my bracelet!" Kim snatched the trinket from Roxas, who wasn't paying her any attention, before her friends dragged her off somewhere else where she wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Yes you were!" Axel snarled as Reno held him back and Wakka and Tidus laughed, "You wouldn't shut up!"

"I didn't have to!" Roxas and Axel continued complaining like two year olds.

"You should both shut up!" Reno blurted, "Look at yourselves!"

"Yeah, whatever." Axel broke free from Reno's hold, "I'm hungry anyways. We should all go get some ice cream!"

"You're paying!" Roxas laughed.

Reno slapped his forehead and laughed.

"But-"Hayner tried to stop them, "We already-"

Olette laughed, "It's okay, Hayner…"

**000 **

A little bit after everyone had some ice cream, Selphie and Pence showed up, along with whoever else was absent before. They were all sitting around on benches in the food court talking to their selves about random things and joking around.

But they all got bored soon, and the laughing became sighs and desperation to find something else to do.

"I'm so bored!!" Sora slouched over and Axel suddenly had another 'brilliant' idea.

"We should go to the arcade and play DDR!" Axel announced.

"That's stupid," Riku started, "I don't want to."

"Aw, you're just afraid I'll beat you!" Axel teased.

"No, I just don't want to waste time." Riku fused.

Axel huffed at him, "You're lame…"

Riku gave Axel an offended expression, "You wanna say that again?"

Axel pointed at him and talked slowly, yet loudly, "YOU. ARE. LAME."

"Fine," Riku gave in, "I'll play. On one _condition_…"

"And that would be?" Axel played along.

"If I win, you quit calling me names." Riku told.

"And if I win?" Axel impaired.

"You still quit calling me names." Riku folded his arms.

Before Axel could protest, their friends began dragging them off, "Let's just go…" They all sighed.

**000 **

A long while later, when the whole DDR thing was over (Riku ended up winning because he had time to trip Axel), everyone was in front of the mall saying goodbye till tomorrow so they could go home, because it was nearly 9 at night.

"See you at school tomorrow!" Sora waved good bye and then he and Kairi disappeared down the street in Soras mom's car.

Axel and Reno left in their own car after that to Twighlight Town with Roxas, Hayner, Olette, and Pence. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka decided just to walk home. After they were gone, Riku and Namine were the only ones left.

They also decided to walk home, and they did so slowly. Quietly too. The sun had already been setting, so as they walked down the street for home next to the beach they watched the sun go down and the moon come up. Namine could hardly keep herself awake the whole way home, being worn out from all the commotion. She'd close her eyes for a moment and then open them from time to time, struggling to keep herself from falling asleep in the middle of the street.

It didn't take Riku long to notice, but he stayed quiet for a while, until she nearly fell over. "Are you okay?" He questioned.

She suddenly looked at him, shocked by the sudden noise, and then she smiled, he expression softening. "Yeah, just tired."

Riku looked down at his watch, which read: _10: 37 P.M. _He then looked back up at her and smiled back, "I'll carry you back."

Namine shook her head slowly as they continued walking down the street slowly. "No, that's okay. I don't-"She yawned and then continued, "Want to cause any trouble."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, concerned.

Namine nodded, and then looked ahead down the street as their walk continued. But fact of the matter, she was so tired she really couldn't make it back. When she closed her eyes for a moment, and refused to open them again, she 'accidentally' fell asleep and nearly fell over, but Riku caught her. He knew it was coming.

He threw one of his arms under her legs and the other under her back, and carried her the rest of the way home as her head rested against his chest and she slept. As soon as he reached their two neighboring homes, he walked across Namine's lawn to put her in her own bed in her own home, but quickly decided to turn around and he carried her inside his home instead.

He walked inside, shutting and locking the door behind him, and carried the sleeping Namine down stairs and into his room. He looked at her and smiled warmly before resting her fragile body in his bed and grabbing a warm blanket to cover her with. After making sure she was warm, and still sleeping, he leaned down and brushed her stray hair out of her face and kissed her cheek.

"Night, Namine." Riku said before getting back up and heading for the exit of the room, but just as he reached the door frame, he stopped himself and looked back one more time, hearing a faint voice in the background.

He quietly tip-toed back over to the bedside and examined her face, watching for a good half an hour before he decided everything was okay and he was imagining things. But then, just before he left, he heard it again. He stared over the bedside again and caught Namine talking.

At first, he thought she was just sleep talking but she opened her eyes slightly and grabbed his arm just in case he might walk away again, "Riku…" He said faintly, "My dad'll worry about where I am…"

Riku said nothing for a while, watching Namine as she looked up at him. He didn't smile, but he didn't frown also. He just stared. "He's not home…" He informed before Namine fell asleep again.

He grabbed a chair from his computer desk on the other side of the room and set it by the wall next to the bed Namine was sleeping in. He then grabbed a light blanket and sat in the chair, pulling the blanket over him and falling asleep as well.

Riku's brother hadn't been home much lately ether. It may have been a coincidence, but it all just seemed a little too fishy.

It was, for lack of a better word, weird. If Riku's brother kept partying day in and day out like this, something bad was bound to happen. He just knew it, but didn't say anything whenever his brother was actually home. Kyle would find out for himself.

**000 **

Namine opened her eyes slowly and sat up in the bed she was in, rubbing her eyes and then examining the room she was in sheepishly. Rays of dim sunlight poured through the small windows and into the room silently as the computer sat still in the brighter corner of the room. In the darker corner was his closet, where the doors were left wide open and some of Riku's shirts were resting on the floor sloppily.

Everything in the room seemed black and white, unless you looked really hard for a color that might show up. It was a rather gloomy looking room.

Namine then noticed Riku at her bedside, half of his body on the chair, and his head and chest resting on the part of the bed she wasn't using, next to the pillow where her head was a few moments before. His blanket had fallen off halfway through the night. His long, illuminating, silver locks of hair covered his face and arms as he snored softly, not woken up by her sudden movements.

She slipped off her own blanket and threw her legs over the side of the bed next to him, leaning over and wiping the hair out of his face and making sure he was sleeping before she got off the bed fully. But when she'd accidentally stepped on a sore spot in the floor that creaked, he quickly shot up and examined the bed. "N-Namine?" he asked.

"I'm right here." She said and he turned around to face her, getting up out of the chair and standing up in front of her.

"How long have you been awake?" Riku asked.

"Actually, I just woke up. I didn't think you'd mind if I let you sleep a little longer…" Namine bit her bottom lip and looked down, and then back up at him again as she laced her fingers behind her back, "What time is it?" She questioned.

Riku looked down at his watch, "Half past eight." He informed.

Namine squeaked and began freaking out, "Oh my god! We'll be late for school!"

"Sorry" Riku scratched the back of his head, "I forgot to set my alarm clock."

Namine held her chest and breathed deeply, "I can't miss another day!"

"I'll call in again…" Riku tried to calm her, "We can go call and see if we could come take all our classes after lunch or-"

Namine started to laugh, cutting him off, "Heh heh, that's okay." She then began to rub her eyes, "I'm still tired anyway. Not like my dad'll notice."

Riku seemed confused for a moment, "So… you _don't _want to go to school now?"

"Yeah," Namine took a deep breath after laughing, "I can do make up work on Monday next week. It's another half day today again anyways."

"It is?" Riku seemed even more confused.

"Mm Hm." Namine smiled at him and then suddenly looked serious, "Why did you take me to your house instead last night?" Namine looked around, "Why am I here?"

"Well…" Riku looked down, avoiding her gaze, trying to make up a lie but the truth came out anyways, "I've been at your house a lot lately, and well, I've just noticed something. Whenever we're at your house, you always seem sad, and then I'm sad and well, to be blunt, it hurts to see you act like that. And I thought, if you stayed here again, I wouldn't have to see you in pain like that…"

Namine's serious expression blew away as she gazed at him disbelievingly. Her heart had lodged itself up into her throat and she felt she couldn't breathe. She knew he cared but… She didn't know he cared _that_ much. No one besides her mom really ever had, not even her dad.

Her hands reached out for his face and her palms cupped both of his cheeks she made him look at her as she examined his face closer, inching herself closer of a better look. She ended up getting so close; her body was pressed against his as her hands continued to hold his face and she stared at his features, looking for an answer to a question she didn't know she was asking: _"Why?_ _Why do you care so much?_"

He suddenly tilted his head and leaned his face into hers and kissed her lips, interrupting her examination abruptly. He let her lean into his chest and kiss him back before he pulled away slowly and rested his forehead against hers.

"Because I love you."

Namine kept the palms of her hands on his cheeks as her eyes locked with his and she stared half lovingly, half still shocked. And then she pulled his face into hers again and kissed him, saying she loved him too with actions so she wouldn't ruin the moment. He deepened the kiss by moving his lips slowly along hers and softly wrapping his arms around her slim figure.

They stayed like this for a while longer, savoring the precious minutes before pulling away and holding each other for a little more.

Hours later, Riku lead her upstairs and made her breakfast, and the two sat on the couch in the living room after watching movies for the rest of the day, leaning on each other under the blanket Riku had brought up to keep them warm in the cold morning.

Namine couldn't feel any content for the time being, because from that moment on all she wanted was to be with him. _Near _him. Just… Wherever he was that's where she wanted to be.

Namine didn't ask for much, that's all she wanted.

**000 **

"They didn't show up again!" Kairi pouted as she walked into her 2nd period class after the bell rang.

"I wonder…" Roxas pondered for a moment, following behind Kairi.

"Those two…" Kairi sighed, "Something up, I know it."

"Something's up?" Roxas cocked an eyebrow, "They seem fine! We should just stay out of their business."

"And this is coming from _you_? Since when did you decide someone else's business isn't yours?" Kairi balked.

"Jeez, thank Kairi." Roxas scratched the back of his head, "Just leave them along for a while. It'd be smart."

"And now you're telling _me _what's smart?" Kairi shook her head at him.

"_Kairi!_" Roxas complained, upset she still wasn't paying attention.

"Alright, I get it," Kairi started, huffing at him, "I'll leave them alone. BUT," she warned him, "If things are still suspicious when we're at Hawaii I'm asking!"

Roxas shrugged, "Whatever, not like I care."

Kairi rolled her eyes and sat up front of the classroom as Roxas sat in the back, hiding from Kim; who still wasn't finished with him for stealing her bracelet. But the bell rang and Kim still didn't show up. Absent, he guessed. He got off the hook, this time…

After 2nd period was over, he ran downstairs to the boys locker room to prepare for gym, his 3rd period class, and after he dashed onto the field with to wait for his gym teacher and the other kids in his gym class. Hayner, who had the same gym period as him, walked onto the field and headed for Roxas.

"Hey," He greeted, "You and Kim haven't fought yet, why?" he questioned.

"She's gone." Roxas informed. "Thank god!"

Olette then showed up out of the girls locker room, followed by all the other girls and the rest of the guys showed up to, followed by the gym teacher who made them all run laps because some guy was late to class. After that, the Gym teacher made the do various sports and such, the usual.

But as everyone was outside, Kim had just showed up, gone before because of waking up late, and she walked down the hallway with the doors to both locker rooms. Just as she was about to enter the girls locker room, her eyes locked on the door to the boys locker room and she snickered evilly, knowing Roxas's exact locker number.

She figured of she just stole something from him they'd be even.

She snuck into the empty boys locker room and searched for Roxas's locker, which was unlocked, and she pulled his books and such out of the locker and searched through them haste fully. When she found nothing, she tossed his worthless binder and boos aside and got up, but two small slips of paper flew out of one of Roxas's books and she leaned down to pick them up curiously.

She gasped when she realized they were two tickets to Hawaii over winter vacation the week after next, and thought up her evil plan. She shoved the tickets away in her own bag and put Roxas's things back neatly, or however he had them before, and snuck back out of the room with the tickets 'just before the guys came back because the class period was nearly over.

Oh, she'd done it now…

**000 **

Riku and Namine were in the middle of the fourth movie at about1:45 p.m, a little after everyone was out of school because of the half day. They knew their friends would show up sooner or later to complain, but they ignored getting up anyways. They were to comfortable to care! (A/N: Like me when my fav. Show is on X3)

They were settled on one end of the couch, snuggled up under the blanket watching the movie (I loved this movie when I saw it last Sunday XD) "Night At the Museum." Namine paid more attention than Riku though. Riku couldn't help but laugh at Namine's expressions while watching the movie. She claimed her favorite character was the miniature cow boy that fought and back talked a lot.

Namine suddenly looked up at Riku, "what?" She asked, catching him watch her.

He laughed, "Just happy you're enjoying the movie. Just came out on DVD and my brother got it for me."

Namine smiled, "I like it a lot!"

He smiled, "I'm glad!"

Namine squeezed her arms around his middle and rested against his chest, "What do you think you're going to do first in Hawaii?" She asked as Riku pullet the light blanket over her shoulders again.

"I don't know." He said, turning over a little bit, facing her so she could rest against him more comfortably. "I'll most likely be sticking around you the whole vacation."

"No blitz wall while we're there, right?" She drew circles on his chest with her finger slowly.

"No blitz ball," Riku started, "Even Roxas agreed to ignore the sport while we're there."

"I see…" Namine seemed relieved. "So… You'll do _anything_ I want with me?"

"Anything."

"_Anything?_"

Riku laughed, "Yes!"

"You'll dance with me at late night parties, swim with me, play valley ball, -" Riku cute her off.

"Yes means everything, Namine." Riku laughed harder.

"You'll even tan with me?" Namine eyed him.

"Don't push it." Riku eyed her back playfully.

Namine's gaze softened and she laughed too, and then realized they'd totally forgotten about the movie. Looking back at the screen, and her favorite character, she continued watching as Riku played with strands of her hair gently.

"Hey Namine." he spoke again near the end of the movie.

"Hm?" She hummed, looking up at him.

"You should stay here for a while, with me. I like seeing you happy like this." He smiled warmly, catching her gaze.

"Yeah," Namine giggled, "I should. I like it here." She said, "Let's see how long it takes my dad to figure out I moved in here."

Riku smiled and caressed the side of her face for a few second before she moved her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck, sighing peacefully as she closed here eyes.

Riku stroked the top of her head as she began to slowly fall asleep. Sitting around on a couch all day was enough to make a person tired, and fast. Weary himself, he rested his head atop hers and breathed in her sweet sent as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"Riku…?" He voice spoke suddenly as she opened her eyes.

"Mm Hm?" Riku replied, still messing with a few strands of her hair that fell down to her sides.

She nuzzled his neck, humming as she tightened her hold around his neck, "I love you."

"I love you too." He said before she shut her eyes again, and drifted off to sleep. He smiled to himself when he was sure Namine was sleeping, and he kissed the top of her head and fell asleep as well.

**000 **

"Namine!?" Kairi knocked on Namines door viciously, "NAMINE!?"

"She's probably not home," Sora suggested, "I'm sure you'll see her tomorrow-"

"NAMINE!" Kairi continued to bang on the door furiously.

Sora shrugged thinking: _Girls… _

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+ **

**A/N: **;3 I've been in an overly fluffy mood lately.

But now, I've got some bad news and good news.

Good news: My computer is up and running again so my updates should be normal again. Yay!

Bad news: My Story's getting closer and closer to the sad parts.

You wanna preview? Okay! Here's a little bit from what's going to happen with Kim:

**Kim sank to her knees, staring blankly as he left the room without a passing glance. **

**_ Face down in the dirt she says, _**

**_this doesn't hurt _**

**_she says _**

**_I finally had enough... _**

****

**As he disappeared she stared down at her hands that she held out in front of her and felt something warm run down her cheek as her hands shook from sheer terror, and then… **

**_Do you feel like a man  
when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now _**

**_as she falls to the ground? _**

****

**"Kim!" Another boy dashed into the room, standing at the door and staring as she looked up at him and glared. Anger was building up fast. **

** "Are you Okay?" The boy kneeled down next to her as she ignored him. "Kim!" He shook her back and fourth with a firm grip on her shoulders. **

** Kim opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was, "I give up…" **

**_She says _**

**_I've finally had enough… _**

There's a preview of what's in store for the future (a month or two, maybe longer) I'd give you more but I don't want to give away much. Just adding drama and suspense.

THE AWARDS! 

Top reviewer of ch. 19 was: **Volume-5!!!! **_XD FLUFF! _

2nd place: **kenshinroks2111!!! **_:D thanks for the long review! _

3rd place: **Aska-Seeker!! **

4th place:**sayshello3! **

BYE! 

XD That's long enough of a authors note. See you all in chapter 21!!

My friend Josh: Amanda, look, a distraction!

Me: where!?

My other friends: -burst out laughing- 

Me: -.-'

–Cracker-Jacks000 


	21. A day in the life of Roxas

**A/N:** I'm sorry about the late update, I know you all deserve better but, guess what, my computer broke again. :( So I'll have to save up for a bit to get a new hard drive. But I'll still be able to update regularly because I kept a rental lap top!! WHOO! It just took a while to get things fixed up and what not. I've got a loooooong scedual for this week. :( jeez... this'll be a short chapter, and I know, evil me, but I promise the next one will be longer!!! Cross my heart! And in this chapter I'm mainlyg going to focus on Roxas, enough fluff for now...

**CHAPTER 21**

_**"Namine!?" Kairi knocked on Namines door viciously, "NAMINE!?"**_

_**"She's probably not home," Sora suggested, "I'm sure you'll see her tomorrow-"**_

_**"NAMINE!" Kairi continued to bang on the door furiously.**_

_**Sora shrugged thinking: Girls…** _

After Gym Roxas grabbed his things from his locker and went on through the day not noticing a thing. He laughed and joked around durring lunch as usual, picked on his teachers, and so on. Kim tried her best to avoid him, as usual. He didn't seem all that interested when he saw her back at school half way through the day, but he did notice a new smirk on her face and he couldn't help but feel odd about it. But as usual, he shrugged it off and carried on with his own bussiness.

By the time school was out, Axel and Reno were waiting outside for Roxas like they normally did, just to watch him practice and then follow him home.

After blitz ball practice, Reno and Axel walked to the train station with Roxas and followed him back to Roxas's house and stayed there for a while...

"How about... Now?" Axel asked, pushing Roxas's nerves.

"No." Roxas responded irritably.

"Now?" Reno questioned.

"NO!" Roxas shot them death glares at them and leaned back in his couch, totally worn out by blitz ball practice.

"...Now?" Axel and Reno pressed on.

"You're not going to set my house on fire!" Roxas yelled, "Why do you even bother asking?"

"You're no fun." Reno pouted.

"Why don't you go set your own home on fire?" Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Pfft!" Axel chuckled. "Then we wouldn't have a place to sleep!"

"Exactly!" Roxas shook his head. "My point made."

"It's not like there's anything else to do," Axel whinned, "You should just stop going to practice, you're always grumpy like this after."

"Never!" Roxas huffed.

"We should just go on a walk before there's no sunlight left," Reno sighed, "We all need to calm down."

"Whatever." Axel rolled his eyes and got up, flicking his lighter on and off as he walked out side.

"I'm coming." Roxas lazily got up and joined Axel and Reno, "Just let me grab the tickets Namine gave me, I might be able to sell them while I'm gone."

"Do it later," Reno grabbed Roxas's arm and literally dragged him outside where Axel was waiting, "It's not like namine's going to kill you."

"I guess." Roxas shrugged and the three were off into the crowded streets of twighlight town.

**000**

"Man..." Roxas sighed as he passed a few laughing teens on skateboards, "I should've brough my skateboard..."

Axel shrugged, still messing around with the lighter, "Not my fault!"

"Just get a new one," Reno started, "Your other ones are getting old anyways."

"Are not!" Roxas complained, "yours look worse!"

Reno rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Roxas."

"Hey!" Axel all of a sudden lightened up.

"What?" Roxas laughed. "Did you burn yourself?"

"No." Axel said simply, and then pionted to a show case in front of a store, "Look at that!"

Roxas turned his head to face where Axel's finger was pointing and his jaw imidiatly dropped, "Whoa!"

"That's cool looking." Reno admired.

Roxas, now as close to the case as he could possibly get, was literally almost drooling over what he saw. "I have to have it!" He raved. He stared in awe at a skateboard neatly placed in the display case. It's background was black with red outlines around the sides and had random words written all over it in what seemed like dripping paint. the wheels were shiney and looked like they could handly anything. "It practivly has my name on it!" Roxas clawed at the case as a few people passing by laughed.

"Yeah," Axel laughed, "It's screaming 'buy me' too!"

"But jeez... Look at the cost!" Reno pointed at the tag next to it.

Roxas's eyes doubled in size, "2,000 munny!?"

Axel laughed harder, "Looks like you're not getting it!"

Reno laughed too. "Tough luck!"

"But..." Roxas sighed miserably, "I want it..."

"Start saving up!" Reno tried to stop laughing at Roxas, but couldn't. Axel was finding it hard to keep balance.

"Wait!" Roxas suddenly grinned _REALLY _wide, "I have the money!"

"What... You do?" Axel stopped laughing abruptly and stared disbelivingly.

Reno followed Axel's lead, "Since when? You've been broke for months!"

"No, my dad gave me some money he owed me a while ago, I just kept it a secret," Roxas snickered, "You're always beging me for money cuz you're too lazy to get a job."

"So are you!" Axel stared hatefully.

"Are you going to buy it or what?!" Reno huffed.

Roxas shook his head and ignored Axel, "Right." He then pulled 2, 000 munney exactly our of his pocket and walked inside the store while his two dumb-struck friends exchanged looks.

"I didn't think he was serious..." Reno gazed into the window disbelievingly.

"Me nether... I didn't even think he'd carry around that much money so casually..." Axel scratched his head and shook his heda at Roxas.

Roxas soon walked out of the store, hugging his new skateboard which was taken out of the display case, ignoring the envyous skateboarders that surrounded, and then imidiatly hopped on and took off.

"H-hey!" Axel and Reno chased after him, "No fair!"

Roxas laughed, "I'm going home now. See you tomorrow!"

Axel and reno stopped chasing, and reno crossed his arms and huffed, "he could've warned us..."

Axel laughed, "We'll get him back later. Come on, I've got my neighbors lawn to set on fire."

Reno laughed, "Count me in!"

**000**

Roxas happily skated home on his new board, singing songs from his favorite bands and enjoying the wind that blew in his face. This thing was fast!!! Talk about cualitly...

The skate board was so fast he was home in five minutes, and sad to get off it. He couldn't _wait _to use it again tomorrow.

He put it away in his room, the closet to be specific, and dragged his backpack to his bed and dug through it; looking for assignments and such that were due tomorrow (last minute work) Olette would murder him if he came to school homeworkless again. That's for sure. But, as usual, instead of pulling out his homework he grabbed his black cell phone instead, and flipped through his random text messages from axel and reno and blah-blah-blah. But then the phone started to ring and it 'just happened' to be Namine.

"Hello?" He put the phone to his ear and answer.

"I have a question for you." Namine's voice sounded through the phone.

"Yeah?" He questioned. "What do you want?"

"Have you sold them yet?" Namine asked.

Roxas laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling, "Sold what?"

"The tickets, bone head!" Namine laughed. "You know, the ones I gave you a few days ago?"

"Oh..." Roxas sat up again, "No, not yet."

He heard Namine sigh, "Get them sold soon, you listening?"

"Yeah, yeah." Roxas rolled his eyes as he dug through his back pack again. "I hear you."

"Good." Namine giggled, "see you at school tomorrow. Don't forget to sell them!"

"I get it, Namine." Roxas shook his head.

Namine then hung up and Roxas put the phone the the side and began digging through his backpack for the book that he put the tickets in, and opened it up to the page he sealed them away in. But... They weren't there.

"What?!" Roxas balked, looking around the room with a confused expression. He then freaked out after he'd checked the book ten million times over again, and held his head up as he paniced. He ripped through his back pack and double checked everything, but no tickets to Hawaii were seen, besides his own.

"What the..." Roxas said, quite out of breath, "Oh man... Namine's going to kill me..."

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N:** I'm sorry it's so short, and that I have to skip the replies for this update, but I swaer the next chapter will be longer. I promise!

at least I don't have to skip the awards...

THE AWARDS!

Top reviewer of chapter 20:**volume-5!!!!**

2nd place:**Aska-Seeker!!!**

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!!**

4rth place: **Naminecrys4Riku!**

'BOUT ME

-sigh- my computers broken again... But it's only a small problem this time, it should be running again within a matter of weeks. ;D good thing I kept the lap top! YAY!

But it will be harder to write without microsoft word... Especially the spell check. I can't spell for my life!!!! So if you see and grammer mistakes,---or whatever, don't be afraid to point it out. My spelling can't go anywhere but up.

REVIEW!

_I'd like to thank all my reviewers for helping me reach 200 reviews so quickly! THANK YOU!_

STILL THINKING

-gonk- I still have no idea what to do you all of you for helping my reach this large number of reviews. If you want fluff or whatever, just ask and I'll think it over. XD 'cept Volume-5, she gets whatever she wants.

Bye, till chapter 22!

Salors are just gay pirates- Cracker-Jacks000


	22. Typical Saturday

**A/N: **I know, I know. My updates have been a -little- longer than usual lately. :( I've just been busy lately what witht he finals and all the other things I've been doing. :D But my update's here so enjoy!

**CHAPTER 22**

_**Namine then hung up and Roxas put the phone the the side and began digging through his backpack for the book that he put the tickets in, and opened it up to the page he sealed them away in. But... They weren't there.**_

_**"What?!" Roxas balked, looking around the room with a confused expression. He then freaked out after he'd checked the book ten million times over again, and held his head up as he paniced. He ripped through his back pack and double checked everything, but no tickets to Hawaii were seen, besides his own.**_

_**"What the..." Roxas said, quite out of breath, "Oh man... Namine's going to kill me..."**_

The next day (saturday) at Riku's house...

"Mmm." Namine, who had just woken up, folowed the amazing sent on pancakes into the kitchen. Where Riku was.

"Morning." He walked past her and into the dining room with two plates of fresh pancakes and syrup.

Namine followed him and sat where he set her plate, "Morning."

"Sleep well?" He smiled at her as he sat across from her at the table.

"Mm Hm." Namine gigled. "You?"

"I slept okay." Riku sighed, "Besides you hoging the blanket!"

Namine gigled more, "Sorry!"

"It's okay, just teasing." He then began to question her, "Have you seen Jynx?"

"Who?" Namine cocked an eyebrow.

Riku shook his head, "The cat."

"Oh," Namine snickered evilly, "I locked the little obnoxious thing in your brothers room."

Riku laughed at her, "Why?"

"It bit me!" Namine balked. "Besideds, not like your brother will be around to notice."

"We're leaving for Hawaii in a week." Riku reminded, getting a smile out of Namine that made him melt.

"Yeah," She smiled warmly at him, resting her head in the palm of her hand, "I know! It'll be great..."

"Christmas is coming up quick too." Riku smiled back, "Not much longer now."

"That reminds me," Namine started, "What do you want for Christmas?"

Riku laughed, "being with you's present enough."

Namine sighed, "_Riku..._"

Then, suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Hm?" Riku shot up from his seat and started for the door.

Namine got up and followed close behind him, "Who do you think it is?" Namine asked.

Riku shrugged, "Beats me."

The door bell rang again, the person on the outside was getting impationt.

"Hold on!" Riku reached for the door knob and Namine watched as he opened the door slowly, opening the door just enough so they could see who was there.

"Hi!" Roxas waved, and then pushed Riku out of the way as Namine backed up so he could get inside. "Oh, Namine! I didn't know you stayed here." He cocked an eye brow.

"And that's a bad thing?" Namine folded her arms.

"Um," Roxas changed the subject, "Could I talk to Riku alone?"

"Why?" Namine pressed.

"Come on, please?" Roxas begged.

"Five minutes." Namine walked past them and into the living room where she waited, letting them talk in private.

"Dude," Roxas started as soon as he made sure Namine wasn't listening, "I lost the tickets!"

"You lost your ticket!?" Riku barked.

"Shhh!" Roxas put his finger to his mouth, "Not mine, the extras. I was supposed to sell them but they're gone. Namine's going to KILL ME!"

"That's your problem." Riku patted Roxas on the shoulder, "Good luck."

"_Riku!_" Roxas was desprate, "Please help me? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Riku rolled his eyes in frustration, "How did you lose them?"

"I don't know, one minute they were there and the other they're gone!" Roxas explained, "Poof!"

"So what do you plan on doing about it?" Riku asked, "Namine was _really _looking forward on spending that money in Hawaii."

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Roxas exclaimed, "Tickets to Hawaii are like, 1 thousand money each. _On Sale!_"

"Why don't you get a job and pay for them yourself?" Riku sugested.

"Are you crazy?" Roxas balked, "How the hell am i supposed to make over 2 thousand money in less that a week on minumum wage!?"

"Jeez, calm down!" Riku waved his hands around, "Just throwing ideas at you."

"Man..." Roxas held his head and totally freaked, "I'm dead meat."

"I'd help out but..." Riku laughed, "I've been broke for weeks!"

"Do you think Sora would help?" Roxas asked, "Or Hayner? Or Pence? Anyone?"

"Dude," Riku laughed, "There's no way they'd give you money. You still owe them like, 20 munny each."

"You're no help at all!" Roxas hissed.

"Well what else am I supposed to say?! I'm not stupid enough to get myself into a situation like this so how would I know!?" Riku scowled.

"Yeah, your righ- _HEY!_"

Riku laughed, "Go ask someone else for help. I'm busy." Riku tried to push Roxas to the door.

"Busy with _what?!_"

Riku gave him a look of irritation.

"Alright, Alright. I get it. I'm going." Roxas walked out of the door and Riku shit the door behind him.

"Finally!" Riku sighed in relief.

"Are you finsihed yet?" Namine asked, coming from the living room.

"Yeah, he's gone." Riku imformed.

"What did he want?" she asked.

"Uh..." Riku scratched the back of his head, laughing akwardly, "He, um, asked me if I knew anyone he could sell the tickets to."

"Really!" Namine clasped her hands and her face lit up, "Finally, he's _actually_ trying!?"

"Er..." Riku was un-easy, "Something like that..."

**000**

"So_ra_!" Kairi whinned. "Riku does this for Namine all the time!"

"Kai_ri_." Sora imitated her. "I'm not Riku."

"But that's not fair!" Kairi fussed.

"But-"

"Pleaseeeeeeee??" Kairi gave him puppy eyes.

"Ah!" Sora took a deep breath. Darn it, why were those puppy eyes so cute? "Fine."

"Yay!" Kairi squeled and then pointed the merchant to the piece of jewlry she wanted as Sora handed over the munny. "Thank you, Sora!" She kissed him on the cheek and he blushed, the merchant smiled and giggled. taking the money and handing Kairi her desired object.

"Happy?" He asked, trying hard not to growl at his offically empty wallet.

"Very!" Kairi put the trinket on her wrist and stared at it in Awe. "It's so cute!"

"Hold on a sec, I've gotta call Riku." Sora warned, smiling and then going somewhere to call Riku while Kairi waited by a bench, still freaking out over her new trinket.

Sora dialed the number, and waited till someone picked up the phone.

_"Hello?" Riku answered. _

"Hey, Riku, I've gotta-"

_"I'm kind of busy right now, can this wait?" Riku asked. _

"Busy doing what?" Sora balked.

_"Watching TV." Riku imformed. _

"Is Namine with you?"

_"No, she's in my room sleeping. After Roxas left she just... Passed out. Guess she shouldn't of stayed up all night watching that dumb chick-flic!" Riku laughed. _

"Really?"

_"Nevermind. What do you want?" _

"Right, do you have any extra munny?"

_"Why's everyone asking me for things today?" _

"Come on, please?"

_"Dude, I'm broke." _

"Oh, Really?" Sora was irritated.

_"What do you need munny for?" _

"I wanted to buy Kairi lunch."

_"Just make her something at your house. You're not THAT horrible of a cook."_

"That's a good idea-_What_?!"

_"I gotta go. Namine's probably going to wake up hungry in a half hour. Bye." _

"But-!" Sora was cut off.

_"BYE." Riku then hung up._

Sora groaned and hung up the phone, followed by Kairi walking up with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Sora sighed for a moment, and then looked at her and smiled his trademark smile. "Come on! Let's go eat something at my house."

"Okay!" Kairi smiled and the two were off.

Riku would surley pay for hanging up on Sora later though, he'd make sure of it.

**000**

Riku clicked the TV off and stood up on his feet, stretching and yawning quite loud. After he did so, he grebbed a rubber band from the bathroom and tied his hair back as he walked to the kitchen and prepared lunch for Namine. But as he searched through the cabinets for something to make, he spotted pancake mix and smiled, forgetting it was lunch and not breakfast when he grabbed the box. (A/N: XD I do it all the time!) he also forgot they'd already had pancakes today too. Good thing it was Namine's favorite breakfast food.

But not stopping there, he made bacon and eggs too. _Aw... _Anything for Namine.

After everything was finiahed, he set them on different plates on the table in the dinning room. After that, he went back into the kitchen to clean up the mess that was made in the process. That meant pancake mix was spread all over the counters and egge shells were in the floor, along with a raw piece of bacon near the sink. It didn't take long to clean up, but he'd also forgotten to clean himself up too. He had pancake on his face and an ege shell in his hair that was tied back.

Even forgoting to wash his hands, he sprinted down the stars and turned the corner sharply to his room where Namine was napping. He slowed down to a hault in front of his door and walked in quietly (the door was already open) and left the door open behind him.

He leaned over the side of the bed to make sure Namine was sleeping, which she was, and he chuckled to himself as he watched her breathe in and out for a while.

"_Namine!_" He whispered, leaning over a bit more so he could shake the blanket a little bit.

Namine just snored, turned over in the bed, and then continued snoring.

"Namine!" Riku called a bit louder, laughing.

More snoring.

Oh, that was it! Riku decided it was time for _drastic _measures.

He braced himself, and then jumped into the bed with her, laughing as he turned her over so she'd be facing him. "Namine!" He shouted as he patted her cheeks and she slowly came to conciousness.

"H-hm?" She moaned, trying to turn over but Riku's arms wrapped around her body and she couldn't move. "Riku?" She questioned, creeping her hands op his chest so she could reach her face and rub her eyes.

"I made you food." Riku cupped one of her cheeks with the palm of his hand. "Come eat."

"What time is it?" She blinked and then stared at him, still tired and a bit shocked by his sudden presence.

"Time to eat." He laughed. "A little after noon."

Namine giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You made me lunch?"

"Uh..." Riku mentally slapped himself. "Kinda..."

"Aw, thank you." Namine said softly, and giggled more under her breath as her arms rested around his neck. But then she started laughing a little bit harder, and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. "You've got pancake on your cheek." Namine told, and then ran her fingers through his hair. "There's an egge sgell in your hair too."

Riku leaned in and pressed his lips on hers, and his hand retured around her waist again. Namine giggled more against his lips and lowered her hands back down to his chest again, gripping the material of his shirt. To be honest, she missed this. You could tell Riku did too, thats for sure (XD). Pressing his lips harder against hers even harder, Riku deepend the kiss and moved his lips along hers, passion growing steadily. Namine started to caress her check as she shifted her body to the side a bit and tilted her head, going along with whatever Riku started.

Pulling away for a few seconds, Namine laughed, "Riku! I should go eat before the food gets cold!"

"It can wait a few more minutes," Riku chuckled seductivly and pinned her to the bed, kissing her cheek persistantly. The kisses traveled down to her neck and Namine still continued to giggle. He hadn't done this since... Since camp!

But... She really _was _starting to get hungry. "Riku..." she whispered into his ear as he played with her hair and continued kissing. "Let me go, _please?_"

He stopped and looked at her, leaning his forehead against hers and she smiled warmly at him. "Yeah, okay." Riku gave in. Damn, he didn't used to be this easy to be this easy to hold off.

He let Namine get up, and she sat up, kisssed Riku on the cheek, and began her way up the stairs. Riku waited a few moments before following her up the stairs, and catching up with her just before she reached the table in the dinning room.

He caught her off gaurd and wrapped his arms around her middle from behind, stopping her in her own tacks. Shocked by his sudden embrace, she tilted her head back and looked at him, "Riku?" She then laughed again. "What _now_?" She hugged the arms that were around her waist.

"I forgot to say how much I love you." Riku tightened his grip around her waist and smiled warmly at her.

"Oh." She laughed softly, turning around and wrapping her arms around his shoulders so she would be facing him. "I forgot to say the same thing."

Riku smiled brighter and kissed her on the lips again, whispering against her mouth, "I love you."

Namine gigled and whispered back, "I love you too!"

When Riku pulled away, Namine played with the rubber band holding his silverish/blueish hair back. "What did you tie your hair back for?" Namine asked. "It looks silly."

"Well your hair looks pretty silly right now too." Riku teased.

"I havent had time to brush it yet!" Namine playfully nudged him.

After a while, the couple finally made it to the table in the dinning room and sat down, eating away. After the meal was finished, Namine changed cloths and brushed her hair, soon after leaving into twighlight town with kairi after kissing Riku goodbye for the day. So, being pretty much alone, Riku invited a few of the guys over to watch TV and guy talk with him.

Hayner and Sora were the two that answered their phone and showed up.

_In the living room, the boys watched professional blitz ball on TV... _

"Aw, that sucked..." Sora fussed when the team he didn't like scored a point.

"Hey!" Hayner punched Sora in the arm, "That's my favorite team!"

"Ouch!" Sora yelled.

"Guys. quit it!" Riku grabbed the remote and turned up the volume so loud he couldn't hear his complaining friends.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N: **Lol, I probably spelt like, everything wrong. -sigh-

AWARDS!

Top reviewer of ch. 21: **Naminecrys4Riku!!!!** _"i still love your storys! they closely relate to everybody and help me out when i'm in that situation... "_ OMG!!! Really? Thank you! that review totally made my week.

2nd place: **Volume-5!!!**

3rd place: **Aska-Seeker!!**

4th place:**hanakitsunechan7!**

**IMPORTANT!**

Remember the first story? Where I made Namine and Riku make out hard-core, like, all the time? I was reading some of them and was like XD I didn't add and hard-core fluff at all to this story. I was just wondering if any of you missed it, cuz I don't mind writing some more for this story, i kinda missed writing the fluff. But if not, okay! I don't mind.

BYE!

-sigh- some things happened at school the past few days and I'm not in a good mood to talk all that much right now, so until chapter 23!

**REVIEW!**

I wonder what's going on inside Keatons head... -Cracker-Jacks000


	23. Frustration

**A/N: **:3 I'll have my normal computer back (with spell check XD) when my parents get their taxes back and pay for our new internet. Which means I'll be able to update lots more, because it'll be easyer. :( lap tops are evil!

Enjoy the chapter!!!!! This one's dedicated to **Volume-5** for helping me out the past few weeks. YOU ROCK!

P.s. You should read her story. :3 It's called "**Kingdom Hearts Camp**" and is on my fav. list.

**CHAPTER 23**

_**"Aw, that sucked..." Sora fussed when the team he didn't like scored a point.**_

_**"Hey!" Hayner punched Sora in the arm, "That's my favorite team!"**_

_**"Ouch!" Sora yelled.**_

_**"Guys. quit it!" Riku grabbed the remote and turned up the volume so loud he couldn't hear his complaining friends.**_

Axel was having the biggest laugh attack he'd had in his whole life. "You did **_WHAT_**!?"

Reno shook his head and laughed along, "Nice one, stupid!"

"Why did this have to happen to me?" Roxas winned, "I didn't mean to lose the tickets."

"So how're you gonna get yourself outa this one?" Reno asked while Axel continued to laugh his ass off.

"Man, I don't know." Roxas made looks at the sky above them, "I've asked _everyone_!"

"_Everyone_?" Axel asked through his chuckles.

"Yeah." Roxas sighed, "_Everyone_."

"You haven't asked us!" Reno pointed an accusing finger at Roxas.

"Y-Yeah!" Axel agreed.

"What force in twighlight town would make me think **you'd** actually help **me**?" Roxas folded his arms and growled.

"Hey," Axel laughed harder, "You're right! We _won't_ help you!"

Roxas rolled his eyes and Reno copyed him mockingly.

"You still could've asked us," Reno started, "We're your friends too, you know."

"That's not the subject!" Roxas freaked. "I still have no idea how to get the money for Namine!"

"Sell things." Axel said. "That's how _I_ make money, if I'm not burning the things i'm selling."

"Hey!" Roxas smiled real wide, "That's a good idea!"

"Really!?" Axel shot up, suprised Roxas agreed with him for once.

"But..." Roxas whinned again, "I've got nothing to sell!"

Reno gave him a look, and Roxas was suddenly tramitized.

"No, I'm NOT selling those." Roxas gave Reno a serious look, "My skateboards are MINE."

"Whatever," Reno shook his head, "I'll be at your funeral."

"Shut-up!" Roxas scowled.

After a while Reno and Axel went home, or wherever else they wanted to go, leaving Roxas by himself for a while. Instead of going to the "usual spot" to see what Hayner, Pence, and Olette were up to (it seems like foever since he'd talked to them) he headed back home to rest his head. All this frustration was going to drive him off the deep end. He'd really messed up this time, as if he didn't already know.

Walking into his empty home, he only turned on the living room light so he could see the buttons on the remote to the TV and watch a movie of something. It'd give him something to do for a few hours.

But the nagging thought of Namine's face when he tells her he lost the tickets wouldn't leave him alone. He got up and turned off the TV, knowing he had to think of something _now_.

"Man..." Roxas sighed. There was only ONE solution to this. "I _**really** _don't want to do this."

**000**

Namine sighed piecefully sighed against the cussions on the couch in Riku's living room. As she layed down she watched a few of her shows and relaxed. After all, it _was _Sunday. Since she didn't have anything to do, she'd just lay around for a while. After Breakfast Riku had left the house with Sora to practice blitz ball on the beach for their upcoming game. This was the second one out of three they needed to win to go to the Bahamas.

Namine pondered on this for a while. You know, they'd really be all over the place for a while. Fist it was Las Vegas, now it's going to be Hawaii, and then the Bahamas! And who know what school trip she'd be taking this year. This would be a busy year. How did they ever come up with the money!

Namine shook her head, clearing all thought of blitz ball or her busy scedual. For now, she just wanted to relax. That was just about it.

But then there was a knock on the door, and even though it pained her, she was forced to her feet.

She walked over to the door and turned the door knob, reavealing Olette and Selphie on the other side.

"Hi Kairi!" Selphie jumped up and down, waving.

"You busy?" Olette asked. "Riku told me you could use some company. I ran into him not too long ago on the beach." Olette then shot a look at Selphie, "She followed me here. "

"Uh, yeah..." Namine stepped aside, "You can come in. The living room is in the room to the right."

Olette and Selphie walked in and Namine followed them to said room, where they sat on the couch and lounged around.

"So..." Namine started, "What's up?"

"Besides Selpie being High Off of mountain dew," Olette started, "Not much." (A/N: XD That was Kim and I yesterday.)

"I'm not high!" Selphie fussed.

"Anyways..." Namine rolled her eyes, "Only a week before Hawaii!"

"Yeah, I know!" Selphie bounced around.

"It'll be fun!" Olette smiled. "So, like, will we be staying in a hotel or do you have family members in Hawaii?"

"No, None of my family lives in Hawaii," Namine started, "And we'll probably be staying in a hotel. My dad told me about the one he stayed in next to the beach that was wonderful. He's thinking about buying us all rooms there. He's shown me pictures, it really is beutiful."

"Oh, I bet!" Olette laughed, "It _is_ Hawaii!"

"You know what I'm gonna do first?" Selphie asked. "Eat Hawaiin food!"

Namine rolled her eyes and continued talking to Olette. "Hold on a second, I'll go get us something to eat."

Olette nodded an Namine walked off as Selphie grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels, leaning back on the couch.

When Namine got back she set a bag of chips on the table and joined Selphie, browsing through random channels till they found something to watch. This went on for an hour or two before Olette left to go see what hayner was doing, followed by Selphie who was going to only god-knows-where.

Since Namine was alone again, she turned off the TV and decided to take a nap, already being worn out. Riku would wake her up when he got back...

**000**

"Urgh!" Roxas grunted as he picked up the iteams he was about to sell and headed out of his door to the shop he was going to sell them at in the middle of twighlight town.

Man... This REALLY sucked...

A while later, after the depressing work was finised and Roxas walk sulking around Twighlight Town, he spotted a sertain somebody out of the corner of his eye.

_Kim?_ He thought. _What the hell is she doing here? _

Then he spotted her take out two little, simple colored tickets and show them off to her friends, laughing like it was some kind of joke. Roxas snuck closer to get a better look, hiding behind a teliphone pole, and his eyes grew and him mouth droped when e read the numbers and letters on the ticket. Those were his!! That's where they went!!!!

He growled deeply, anger building up at an alarming rate. oooh! She was gonns PAY. Here he just was, selling his most valuble posestions to pay for the lost ticket that she STOLE. From HIM.

HOW FUCKING IRRITATING!!

Kim heard his mumbled and curse words and turned around, but when Roxas hid again she saw nothing and shrugged, walking off with her friends and leaving Roxas alone. As soon as he was sure she was out of ear shot, he screamed to the top of his lungs, feeling like he was about to explode. THAT BITCH! Someones gonna die now...

Random people giggled as they walked past the scene.

**000**

"Hayner!" Olette sang as she danced into the "Usual Spot", spinning around and sitting next to Hayner on the lumpy old, beat up couch.

"Hey Olette." He smiled at her, and then continued to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.

"Did you do your homework yet?" Olette asked.

"Yes dear." Hayner rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Neatly?" Olette pressed.

"Yes dear." Hayner scratched the back of his head, irritated.

"Really?" Olette smiled. She knew she was pressing his nerves.

"YES DEAR." Hayner tried not to scream.

As soon as he gets home... He might want to do that homework...

**000**

Riku, panting from the hard-core work out, sat down on the sandy beach with Sora, cooling off while the blitz ball rolled off somewhere.

"Man, I'm tired." Sora layed back in the grainy, golden sand. "I'm gonna go home now."

"Yeah, me too." Riku took a deep breath and got to his feet. "Namine's probably trying to kill my cat right about now."

"Jynx?" Sora cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you said you got rid of that cat."

"No, my brother made me keep it." Riku sighed and then grabbed his things, walking off. "See ya later, Sora!"

Sora waved goodbye. "Yeah, whatever!"

Riku laughed and disapeared down the boardwalk back home. Once there, standing in front of the door, he turned the knob and walked back inside, shutting and locking the door behind him. He followed the sounds of people talking and laughing on the TV to the living room where he found Namine fast asleep on the couch; hugging a pillow and hogging the couch blanket. He laughed at her.

"I knew it." Riku chuckled lightly, trying not to wake her. "Whiped out."

Namine grumbled, turned in her sleep, and continued snoring.

Riku walked over and pulled the thin, red couch blanket over her shoulders and kissed her forehead. After, he left the room and walked down to his own room, throwing his blitz ball and ecipment into his closet and he sat on his bed, signing because he was still tired from the training. Heading back in his bed he store at the ceiling, dazed and blank.

_Just one more week till Hawaii. _He abruptly felt surging energy to jump us and scream _YAHOO! _A vacation like this was what he needed. A nice, long, worry free vacation. With Namine. Oh, this would be _fun_.

_Really fun..._

Hours later, he walked back upstairs to find Namine was still asleep. Damn, she must've been tired.

Shrugging, he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of them, considering it was near 8 PM at night and he was hungry.

He decided to make Namine's favorite today; a simple bowl of ramen (A/N:3 my favorite too.) That only took 10 minutes to make and prepare.

After he set the steaming bowl of noodles on the table, he set off for the living room where Namine was napping soundly, and he shook her shoulders gently, waking her up.

"R-riku?" She rubbed her eyes sheepishly. "You're home?"

"Come on, come eat." He urged her to get up. "I made you ramen."

"Oh Really?" Namine shot up and dashed into the dining room. "Okay!"

He laughed and followed her, sitting next to her at the table as she attacked the messy noodles. Literally.

Riku ate his part of the meal as well, but not quite as visiously. Although Namine's love for Ramen amused him.

When namine was finished she left to go clean up in the bathroom while Riku cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen. When they were finished they met in the livingroom and sat on the couch together, watching funny reality shows and crap. (A/N:0 I like American Idol and ANTM. XD I'm a freak!)

"Ah!" Riku scowled at the screaming, insanely angry girl on the TV who was beating up the director, "What a weirdo!"

Namine giggled. "She's a whore!"

"I figured." Riku sighed.

Namine's giggles increased. "TV is funny..."

"TV is weird." Riku grabbed the remote, switching the channel to something a little more interesting, or, worth his time.

Namine cuddled up to him, restingher head and arms on his chest. "Hey, I was wondering; how about I make breakfast for YOU tomorrow."

"What?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

"Cuz You're always doing evrything." Namine started. "I feel lazy."

Riku laughed. Loud. "Whatever you want, Namine."

Namine smiled and wrapped her arms around his middle, relaxing on him even further.

But then she thought about those darn tickets. Roxas had better have sold them by now, or hells a comen'.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Kim's BUSTED:3 but will Roxas get her to confess? What kind of punishment will Namine bestow on him? XD These questions linger in the furure.

Oh, I'm sorry if my update lack length. I've been... "Heart Broken" lately, and have had a lot on my mind. Please forgive me.

THE AWARDS

First place: **Volume-5!!!!**

second:**kenshinroks!!!**

Third: **mOOnlite-dUSk!!** _I'll add some SoraxKairi fluff soon (not next chapter... Maybe) but soon! XD More Roxas and (name here) too!_

Fourth: **hanakitsunechan7!**

BOUT' ME

_I'd rather not talk about it..._

REPLIES GO HERE NOW

_I'm gonna start replying at the end of the chapters now. It's easyer. But starting next chapter! I'm tired :(_

LATER!

XD See ya'll in chapter 24!!

-giggle- Kim's gonna make my ex lover pay -Cracker-Jacks000


	24. Fa'an

**A/N:** And... Here's an update!!! It would've come sooner, but I've been gone at church camp lately. Yep, that's right, I've started going to church. And it's... Not all that bad. It's nice to beileve in something. Let's see where it takes me.

Another note: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! XD The most romantic day of the whole year!!!!! yay! and also, it's my birthday the 18th:3 so give some nice reviews as a present.

Well, it's time to get serious. The things I have planned for this story are finally almost here!!! THAT MEANS PLOT!!! WHOOO! Not much longer now...

p.s. I'm making Most of the teachers with the names and personlities of my own teachers. And I changed some of the classes up to fit mine, so it might be confusing but just go with it.

ENJOY!

**CHAPTER 24**

_(Happy V-Day!)_

_**"What?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why?"**_

_**"Cuz You're always doing evrything." Namine started. "I feel lazy."**_

_**Riku laughed. Loud. "Whatever you want, Namine."**_

_**Namine smiled and wrapped her arms around his middle, relaxing on him even further.**_

**_But then she thought about those darn tickets. Roxas had better have sold them by now, or hells a comen'._**

"I hate mondays." Leon mumbled, leaning back against the wall in his first period class, which was starting in three minutes, with yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud all in the same class. (A/N: I just HAD to bring them back for ya'll)

"I LOVE Mondays!" Yuffie danced around in her, for once, clean uniform.

"Pfft!" Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Why's that, Yuffie?" Aerith asked Yuffie, all the while nudging Cloud.

"One day closer to Friday!" Yuffie laughed. Loud.

Cloud couldn't help but laugh along as Leon grunted and Aerith giggled softly.

"You're weird." Leon shook his head.

"Be nice, _Leon!_" Aerith smacked him in the arm.

Leon flinched. "What was _that_ for!?" Leon moaned, rubbing his now swollen arm.

Aerith huffed and Cloud sughed, pulling her away and to their desks before she could reply... Or attack...

Yuffie giggled at the dumbfounded, grumpy Leon and teased him endlessly.

Then the bell rang, signalling 1st period had begun...

**000**

"Good morning, class." Mrs. Brosmore, Riku, Namine, Kairi, Roxas, and Kim's first period English teacher, greeted.

"Morning." Half the class greeted back while the others ignored her.

"Please open your text books to page 315, be prepared for homework and a Quiz tomorrow. Read pages 315 to 357 by the end of the class period." Mrs. Brosmore instructed calmly, sitting at her desk and begining to work on the computer. "Go."

Everyone took out their books and started working, until halfway through the class period when the teacher busted out laughing her ass off.

"AHAHAHA!" The Teacher nearly fell over. "HA!" She banged her fist on the desk.

The whole class suddenly looked up at her, shocked, except for Kim who rolled her eyes and continued working.

Namine cocked an eyebrow and Riku scowled as Roxas laughed att he teacher histerically.

"S-sorry..." The teacer managed to say through laughed. "Funny e-mail from the S.S. Teacher..."

"I wanna see it!" Roxas shot up from his desk.

"Sit down, Roxas." Mrs. Brosmore abruptly stopped laughing, now shooting death glares at him.

Roxas sat down unwillingly, and the rest of the class began working again.

Soon after the bell rang and 1st period was over, and 2nd period was coming up.

**000**

Roxas sat at his assigned desk (next to Kim) in front of the class, totally unprepared for 2nd period Science. Whick he hated.

Dearly.

After everyone had already entered the class when the bell rang, and they were seated quietly, waiting for their science teacher who was, not suprisingly, late for his own class.

Mr. Louie was an odd one...

(A/N: XD but he's my favorite teacher! HA HA!)

While all the students waited for Mr. Louie, their late science teacher, thay filled out planners and took out homework. The usual.

Roxas had this class with Kairi, Tidus, Pence, Kim, and Hayner. Usually in random experiments they did he'd always pair up with Hayer or Pence; whicjever one he could catch first. Roxas didn't _totally _hate this class, although Kim was an issue. Why did Roxas have all her classes again? Fate had ways of disturbing him.

Finally, Mr. Louie walked causually into the classroom, like he had done nothing wrong, and stood before his class. "Get out your homework!" he shouted over the students, and then walked over to his lap top for a minute, playing cheesy music softly like he usually did.

After giving the class enough time to take out their homework, he went from desk to desk collecting it; starting with a random student, followed by Kairi and Kim, and then all the way through the rest of the class till he got to Roxas last.

"Hey!" Mr. Louie huffed at Roxas. "Where's your homework?"

"Well, you see, this thing came up and I-" Roxas was cut off.

"Roxas." The teacher eyed Roxas before he could finish the lie.

"Alright, fine." Roxas gave in. "I was watching TV."

Mr.Louie wrinkeled his nose and shook his head scornfully, walking away to his desk, where he put everyones homework away to grade it later.

"Okay," the science teacher started, facing the class again. "Here's what we're doing today; we're watching a movie. Simple as that. So wnjoy." The science teacher concluded, turning off the music and turning on the movie.

"Hey." Roxas leaned over to the desk next to him, which was hayners, and whispered.

"What?!" Hayner whispered back in an irritated tone.

"I need to talk to you and the other guys at lunch, do you mind telling them to meet me at student lounge #3?" Roxas asked, keeping his voice low so Mr. Louie wouldn't notice them.

"Yeah, whatever." Hayner rolled his eyes and continued watching the movie.

**000**

Third period had just started and Roxas was 2 minues late to class. Which was Social Studies, or just history.

"And where have you been?" Mr. Johnsen, the S.S./History teacher demanded to know.

Roxas stopped at the door and scratched the back of his head. "Oh..._ Issues with my lockar_?"

"Sure, whatever." Mr.Johnsen said. "Sit down."

Roxas then realized the whole class was looking at him, including Kim, Namine, Riku, Wakka, and Hayner, was starting at him giggling to themselves. He gave then all a dirty look that said who-do-you-think-you're-looking-at-punks?

When he sat at his desk Mr. Johnsen began talking.

"Alright," He began, "As you know, the project we've been working on the past week is due tomorrow, so this is your last day to work on it. If the class gets too loud in here, which I know it will if I don't warn you, you're all getting green slips. Mr. Johnsen then sat at his own oversized desk in front of the class and started working on his computer. "Start." (A/N: My teacher Mr. Johnsen isn't really _that _mean all the time, but he was just in a bad mood today so...)

Roxas miserably worked on the project with his partner, Wakka.

"Man, you bummed today, ya?" Wakka asked, taking over his end of the project.

"Yeah." Roxas sighed. "Somethings up with that bitch Kim today. She wont stop looking at me and scowling, even more than usual." Roxas huffed. "She's freakin' me out!"

Wakka scanned the room for Kim. "Like she's doing now?"

Roxas looked back at Kim who was, indeed, scowling and glaring. "Yeah..."

Wakka laughed. "She'll get over it, ya?"

"Whatever." Roxas rolled his eyes. "Whatever her problem is, it's not mine."

Wakka laughed more. "Sure, man."

"MR. JOHNSEN!" Mrs. Brosmore, upset English teacher, screamed as she entered the room.

"What!?" Mr. Johnsen rolled his eyes.

Mrs. Brosmore then eyed the class, "Uh, could I talk to you in the hall. alone?"

"Sure." Mr. Johnsen got up and followed mrs. Brosmore into the hallway for a minute or two.

When he came back and mrs. Brosmore left to her own class, he stood before the class and cleard is throat to get everyones attention.

The class stared quizically.

"Sorry about that," Mr. Johnsen started, "Mrs. Brosmore is having troubles with one of her students again, who thinks it's funny, so I'll be gone the rest of the class period helping her. Riku, you're in charge for the last 20 minutes." Mr. Johnsen then left for the door, "See ya later, you slimy little people." (A/N: It's an inside joke between my classmates and my teacher XD)

"What!?" Roxas huffed and turned to Riku sharply, "But you don't even like him! _Come on!_"

The teacher shrugged, laughed at him, and then left.

Roxas continued to complain while Riku acted triumphantly, marching around the room doing a poor, but funny imitation of the history teacher.

Roxas was overjoyed when the bell finally rang, signalling 3rd period was over and he had 5 minutes before his next class.

**000**

Kim got to her 4th period art class before Roxas did so she could find a dark spot in the back of the classroom where Roxas wouldn't find her. Sometimes, just to tick her off, he'd sit next to her and critisize her work. Like his was any better... He was NO artist.

Mrs. Barton, said art teacher, was at her desk in the front reading a book while her classroom filled up over the course of 5 minutes.

Roxas and his friends who had this class with him (Pence, Selphie, and Tidus) walked in and sat at a table near the front; where Roxas didn't take time to notice Kim.

For a while...

A student he'd never seen before, which was suprising because he thought he knew everyone, waltzed into the and casually sat next to Kim like it was no big deal and he owned her. This, somewhere inside of him, furiated Roxas. And, for a reason he couldn't figure out.

Ignoring the suposedly "New" Kid, he leaned back in his seat and sighed, breathing in the horrible smelling air. It smelt like paint and burnt lead. But... It _was _art.

The bell rang and Mrs. Barton stood up, facing her 4th period class.

"You know what to do." She told. "So begin." She then sat down and continued reading as everyone continued working on whatever-it-was she'd assigned.

Mrs. Barton was one of those more laid-back teachers (most of the time). Her art class was considered the 'easy A' through the tenth and eleventh grade. For twelth grade, well, that was a different story.

Anyways, Roxas did what he usually did in this class: slack off and draw random stuff and crap. Whatever it was guys enjoyed wasting their time drawing.

Ont he other side of the room, Kim was working on painting a detailed mask, which was turning out nicely. It would be better, though, if Roxas wasn't such a distraction. The way he kept looking up at her made her angry.

Very angry.

So, she'd glare at him, and he'd look away embarassed. Worked well enough for her.

"Hey, babe." The new boy next to her said.

"Don't call me that." Kim snarled, but not so loathingly.

"Yeah, Yeah. I want ta' know somethin'." He continued, almost being totally obvious.

"Yes?" She asked, her tone back to normal. Usually, she's be telling any guy, not just Roxas, to get lost by now. Strange...

Roxas continued watching.

"Mind id I take you out to dinner tonight? I've got money to spend." Roxas was abruptly ill.

DID HE JUST ASK HER OUT!?

"Yeah, sounds fun." Kim replied.

DID SHE JUST SAY YES!?

Something was going on... Roxas didn't beileve what was happening. It was like the sky and sun just disapeared. He looked sick to his stomach.

"H-hey, Roxas," His worried friend, Tidus, tried to catch his attention, "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Roxas didn't answer, but continued to gawk.

The unbeilevable had just happened. Or, at least in Roxas's mind. But before Roxas had the chance to say a thing, the period was good and over. Meaning; the bell rang, snapping him out of the dark transe and back to the real world while Kim left the room with her prep friends and said guy.

Heh... Short period...

**000**

Namine sighed, "I've got homework in_ every _class so far!"

Riku smiled at her. "It's not that bad."

"Yes it is!" Namine fussed. "I was supposed to go to the mall today with Kairi! I can't just waste my time on homework!"

"So? Do it when you get back from the mall." Riku suggested.

Namine opened her mouth to speak, but Roxas interupted. "I can't beileve thise!" He shouted.

"What?" Rikue questioned. "That Namine has homework?"

"NO." Roxas balked. "Some random guy just asked Kim out!"

"Point?" Riku cocked an eyebrow. "Guys ask her out all the time. It's never bothered you before.

"She said yes!" Roxas finished.

"She did?" Namine was suddenly interested.

"Yeah!" Roxas threw his arms into the air.

Riku sighed.

"Hey." Kairi and Olette suddenly showed up. "What's up?"

"Someone asked Kim out!" Roxas and Namine said in unison. "She said _YES_!"

"Really?" Olettes eyes widened and Kairi's mouth droped.

Riku slapped his forehead. "This is gay..." He mumbled to himself. how anoying!

"Does this mean she's finally over Riku?" Selphie; another addition to the group, added.

"I hope so!" Namine huffed.

"Look," Riku started, "I'm gonna go grab some lunch. See you all later."

"Wait, I'm coming!" Namine followed, leaving her other friends in the main student lounge.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Riku said as he sat with Namine at a lunch table.

"Big deal?" Namine sat next to him with her lunch, "This is huge!"

Riku took a deep breath and asked. "How?"

"It means she'll leave you, and most importantly, me alone." Namine explained.

"How can you be so sure?" Riku questioned. "Knowing Kim, she's not gonna give up that easily. You don't know her inside-and-out like I do."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Namine looked offended.

Riku sighed unbearingly. "Nevermind, just forget about it."

Just then Hayner and Pence joined the two at the table.

"Hey." Hayner greeted.

"What's up?" Riku asked as Namine began eating her lunch.

"Dude, Roxas is freaking out. Do you have any idea what's wrong?" Pence asked.

"It's just Kim again." Riku said.

Namine grunted and nearly chocked on her food.

"Oh. That's what I was thinking..." Hayner told. "But you never know... I had to ask because Roxas hasn't acted this worked up since... Since he actually gave a damn about things. He's usually pretty laid-back."

"Yeah, well, it's his problem." Riku then got up, grabbing an apple to take with him.

"H-Hey!" Namine sharply looked up at him, "Where do you think you're going?" She pouted. "You can't just leave me here with them!" She then pointed at Hayner and Pence, who just laughed.

Riku tried not to laugh along at her. "I'll just be in the student lounge #3 for a while. I've got to talk with Sora about a few things." he then leaned down and kissed her cheek. "But I'll see you later, okay?"

Namine still seemed upset, but nodded. "Fine..."

Riku smiled, left, and Namine complained to herself for a while before she left the two boys to go find Kairi, who was in the office being watched because her leg was still recovering.

Meanwhile, Roxas had finally calmed down enough to sit down some place quiet and breath. Something he'd forgoten to do while he freaked out.

He was alone, which was good. It gave him a little time to think.

Why did he even care who Kim was dating? Why did he take the time to notice? Why the hell did he even make such a big deal about it?

To be honest, he forgot why he didn't like her in the first place.

Oh, that's right. It's because she almost put Namine into intensive care. That's why.

He didn't have a crush on Namine, no, she was Rikus girlfriend. She was his _friend_, and nobody treats his _friend_ like that.

And... Namine wasn't really his "Type."

She was Rikus though. Roxas was happy for him. They looked good together.

And that's what started to tick him off.

It seemed like he was the only one who was single anymore. Even pence managed to get a girlfriend over the past few weeks.

His excuse was that there was no time, which was a total lie, because he spends most of his time sitting on a couch being a bum.

The real reason was that he just couldn't find "That" girl. Someone different... Someone he could call _more_ than just a girlfriend. Like Sora and Kairi. **_They were perfect. _**

He could wait though... Well, not really.

But he'd been told it's well worth the wait.

Resting against the wall behind him in the empty room, he folded his arms and stared deeper into space.

He though about what the "Perfect" girl might look like. Long, brown hair... A light, metalic looking eye color. An attitude, cuz he liked that in a girl for some reason. Good lookin' body too...

Heh... Everything Kim was.

Too bad she's such a bitch.

The bell rang, meaning lunch was over and he had to drag his lazy butt over to 5th period.

Great... Time to spar with Cid again.

000

Kairi, Namine, and Riku walked into 5th period Math together to find that, suprisingly, Roxas was already there and seated. He didn't look normal though. He was staring ahead of him at the wall, arms folded, and eyes sharp.

Like he was pissed and confused at the same time, and countless other emotions they couldn't name.

"Hey, dud, you okay?" Riku asked while patting his sholder.

"Mm Hm." He grunted, paying little attention.

Riku shook his head and walked to his own desk with Namine while Kairi sat somewhere in the front next to a window.

The bell rang after everyone else was seated and Cid, the Math teacher, entered the room grumpily like he always did.

Scowling at Roxas, who scowled back, Cid sat at his oversized desk facing the class.

"Pass your homework to the front, punks." He shouted over his students.

Homework was passed foreward from everyone besides Roxas. _Crap..._

_"Roxas..." _Cid was even more frustrated, "Where's your homework?"

"My pet whale ate it." Roxas smirked. "What do you think, dumb ass? I didn't do it."

"_why?"_ Cid pressed onward.

Roxas shrugged. "I didn't even wanna touch_ your_ homework." Roxas laughed. "It's probably diseased."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Cid was cut off by the principal, who just walked in.

"Is there a problem, Cid?" The principal asked.

"That thing!" Cid pointed at Roxas, who laughed harder. "Get it out!"

The principal sighed. "Come with me, Roxas..."

Roxas happily got up, walked to the door, and to the office with the principal.

Out of Cids class for the fifth time in a row.

_Score!_

After waiting for the period to be over sitting in the office, they let him go to his lockar and put his stuff away before he headed down to 6th period GYM with Mr. Peders.

As he headed into the lockar room, he stuffed his stuff into his gym lockar and dressed in his gym clothes (A/N: -drools at mental image-) and headed outside where other classmates and the teacher was waiting for him.

GYM started, and Mr. Peders ordered everyone to run the whole class period on the mile-long track because Roxas was late and lost the note from the office.

Roxas, being a fast runner, ran ahead of all his friends and was close to the front of the group of running teens. For a while, he was running by himself. Until, that is, a certain somebody caught up.

"What's your problem?" Kim snarled, running next to him, and suprisingly keeping up with him. Dang, she's fast.

"What's _my _problem?" Roxas smirked.

"Everyone's been giving me wierd looks since lunch, I know it was you. What'd you do?!" Kim was beyond angry.

"You've got a new boyfriend now, right?" Roxas huffed.

"You mean Fa'an?" Kim cocked an eyebrow. "Is that what this is about? I've been dating him for weeks."

"What!?" Roxas exclaimed. He didn't notice before? _Figures. _

"Yeah." Kim told. "Met him at a club!"

"You do to clubs?" Roxas balked. "That's stupid. Let me guess, you like to get drunk too?"

"NO. I go to hang out with Breanna and Bethanie. Not like it should matter to _you_." Kim huffed and ran faster than him, going ahead.

"Wait!" Roxas caught up with her. She really **was **fast. "What happend to being obsessed with Riku?"

"I stiil am!" Kim made a smug face. "Who says I've given up? Fa'an's just hot... and a good kisser."

Roxas felt like barfing. "Un-needed information."

"Did I upset you?" Kim talked to Roxas as though he were a baby. "GOOD."

"H-hey!" Roxas was offended. But, Kim was talking. He expected it.

"Got a problem?" Kim snarled.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask a question." Roxas changed the subject.

"Shoot." Kim said. "There's nothing better to do, anyways."

"Are you blind?" He asked randomly.

"What kind of a question is _that!?_" Kim balked. **"Of course not!"**

"I was just asking, cuz, Y'know, your eyes are silver and all." Roxas laughed.

Kim rolled her eyes and the period finished soon, and everyone left to go home, or wherever it was they were headed.

What a long day...

Hawaii was going to be a much needed vacation for winter break.

Screw snow.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **I know, I'm late. Very late. But there is good news! I GOT INTERNET BACK ON MY FIXED COMPUTER! Yay! No more anoying lap-tops! all I need to do now is re-instal spel check...

**AWARDS**

Top reviewer of chapter 23: **Volume-5!!!! **_:D Gaia rules. _

2nd place: **sayshello3!!! **_aw, thanks!_

3rd place: **Aska-seeker!!** _:D WHOO!_

4th place:**kenshinroks2111! **_Thanks for checking out my site!_

**BYE!**

I got a new puppy:3! -cracker-jacks000


	25. Snow Storm

**A/N:** Okay, wherever some of my regular reviewers are hiding, COME OUT OR I WONT UPDATE!!! Nah, I'll update if I continue to get at least 8 reviews per chapter but _COME ON! _How hard is it to click the "Submit Review" button and send me a review? _Not hard at all!_

Okay, since I get a lot of questions asked, which varies all over the place (_really) _, so I've decided that every three chapters I'll take every question that's been asked the past three chapters and answer them all at the end of the chapter. Yes, you may ask anything. Even if it has nothing to do with the story. But try not to embarrass me XD.

But one question that was asked last chapter I will answer here and now.

**_QUESTION: What's you're new dogs name?_** _ANSWER: I named it "Dude" because I couldn't think of a name, and was all like, "Ah, DUDE!" when it was slobbering all over everything. so, it's name is dude. _

Enjoy chapter 25!!

**CHAPTER 25**

**_"What kind of a question is that!?" Kim balked. "Of course not!"_**

**_"I was just asking, cuz, Y'know, your eyes are silver and all." Roxas laughed._**

**_Kim rolled her eyes and the period finished soon, and everyone left to go home, or wherever it was they were headed._**

**_What a long day..._**

**_Hawaii_****_ was going to be a much needed vacation for winter break._**

**_Screw snow._**

_Tuesday, 2:45 P.M, Destiny high. _

Riku sighed deeply and unbearably, not wanting to believe what was happening. not wanting to believe it _at all_ in-any-way-or-form-what-so-ever.

They were being forced to stay at school, after school hours he might add, because of the harsh thunder storm going on outside. Which wasn't all just rain, no, snow was coming with it.

_wonderful.._

. And to think, he was actually looking forward to going home today. With Namine. Alone.

But nooooooo! The heavens just **had** to throw slush at them. Un-freaking-believable.

Since when does it snow on a tropical Island?! They'd have to figure out a way to play blitz ball inside before the Bahamas.

Students wandered around the large building aimlessly, trying to find something to do for the next few hours (or several hours) while they waited for the storm to die down.

Roxas, obviously, was watching Kim and Fa'an (her "boyfriend") restlessly and Tidus was throwing blitz balls at Wakka in the GYM downstairs. Sora was off somewhere screaming words he shouldn't be screaming because he was supposed to surprise Kairi with dinner at her favorite restraint, Kairi was looking for Sora, and Olette and Selphie were looking for Kairi. Hayner and Pence watched Wakka and Tidus in the GYM and avoided sloppy passes and throws.

While Riku fussed over the whole OMG-I'm-stuck-here-when-I-should-be-at-home-doing-what-I was-planning-on-doing "thing", Namine was by herself in the main student lounge, which was surprisingly enough empty, drawing in her sketchbook quietly.

She had her colored pencils and pens spread all over the couch she was sitting on while she erased and drew, erased and drew, erased and drew. She was never happy with any of her drawing anymore. (A/N: Hardcore artist block! XD)

Riku stood in front of one of the schools large, glass windows, running his fingers along the smooth edges as he gazed outside frowning.

This sucked...

This_ really_ sucked...

He then heard a loud scowl from Namine, who was sitting in the student lounge on a couch behind him drawing. He smiled and walked over to the back of the couch and placed his hands on the rim, leaning over to see what she was drawing while Namine was unaware he was behind her. But, she felt his warm breath against her skin and immediately forced the sketch book against her chest and looked over her shoulder at Riku, who smiled and he rested his head in the palm of his hand as he continued to lean over the back of the couch.

"What're you drawing?" He asked.

Namine was still taken back by his sudden appearance. "Uh... Nothing?"

Riku reached for her sketchbook. "Aw, come on. I wanna see it!"

Namine drew back, now standing instead of sitting, holding her sketchbook tigher against herself.

Riku made a face. "What's wrong?"

Namine took a deep breath. "N-nothing's wrong!" She tried to smile, but it wavered. "I'm just... Not finished."

"Okay." Riku gave in easily, pushing off the couch and walking around it so he could stand next to Namine, but his gaze fixed back on the window across the room.

Namine cocked an eyebrow, surprised by his quickness to give in. "Riku?"

"What?" He suddenly looked at her, calm as ever.

She looked down and shook her head, "Never mind." She then kneeled down next to her back pack and put away her sketchbook and all her pencils, which took about 4 minutes as Riku watched. As she zipped her backpack closed, she stood up again and took another deep breath of air as she looked up at Riku, smiling like everything was okay and completely perfect.

Riku made a face, laughed, and Namine laughed along with him.

"Uh..." Riku said after a while, scratching the back of his head. "Wanna take a walk for a while?"

"In the school?" Namine looked at him funny.

"Sure, why not?" Riku shrugged. "Not like we've got anywhere else to go, right?"

Namine laughed and nodded, and they started up to the second floor, where it was a little more crowded, and walked up and down some of the hallways for a while going on and on about random parts of their week and laughing at jokes and such. Hours went by and before they knew it it was midnight, and they were _still _being forced it stay in the school because of the storm.

It was obvious they were spending the night here tonight. Some of the students were already sleeping on the couches in the large student lounge where some of the teachers who also had to stay read books and graded assignments.

"Jeez, what a storm!" Riku complained. "I don't want to stay here _all night!_"

"Me nether!" Namine yawned. "I don't want to sleep on a **couch**! You're bed's much more comfortable."

"Tried, huh?" Riku bit back his laughs.

"Mm Hm..." Namine yawned again.

"Then how about I find you a place to sleep?" Riku caught Namine off guard by sweeping her off her feet, literally, holding her in his arms as he carried her to the bottom floor.

"R-Riku!" She nearly screamed at him. "Don't do that!" She then sighed. "And I don't wanna sleep on a couch, so I'd rather not sleep at all!"

"You don't have to repeat yourself," Riku said, "There's probably a few soft beds in the nurses office."

"R-really?" Namine exclaimed, "A real bed?!"

"Uh-huh." Riku nodded, heading for the nurses office on the northwest part of the bottom floor. Once there, and there were in fact a few empty beds cuz no one was in the room, he laid her down and grabbed a blanket from the cabinet to cover Namine with. Namine watched as he smoothed the covers over her shoulders and smiled warmly. He then grabbed the nurses chair and moved it next to the bed Namine was laying in and he sat next to her, leaning against the wall as she continued to watch him.

"Night, Namine." Riku smiled at her one more time, and then closed his eyes to try and go to sleep himself.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" She asked, causing his to open his eyes and look at her again.

"No." He shook his head. "I don't mind."

"But Riku..." Namine pouted, quivering her lip.

"Really, I'm fine." He smiled warmly at her, flipping most of his silverish/blueish hair out of his face. (A/N: -drools-)

Namine ignored him, and then reached for his arm suddenly, pulling his onto the bed with her. Even though it was small... there was room.

"Wh-wha?!" Riku, shocked, looked around for a minute before he realized Namine had pulled his next to her.

"There." Namine rested her head on his chest softly. "Room for two."

"Namine..." He looked at her, running his fingers through her hair as she looked up at him inocently.

She wrapped her arms around him firmly and got comfortable as he continued to stare at her in awe, watching her slowly fall asleep against him.

Haha, she was a special one.

he was glad.

Smiling and wrapping his arm around her gently to suport her body, he fell asleep along with her.

**000**

Namine slowly awoke to the moons dim light shinning through the window and into the room. The soft light was easy on her eyes, and gave her just enough light to look around and see where she was.

The nurses office.

She made a face, and then remembered that she'd been locked in the school due to a rain/snow storm.

She then looked up at Riku's face, the boy she was laying on, and tilted her head as she watched him breath in and out peicefully. She smiled, scooted closer to his face, and rested her head on his chest again, nuzzling her face in his neck as she attempted to fall asleep once more.

But Riku had been waken up and mumbling something before asking, "N-namine?" in a soft, whispered tone.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Hm?" she hummed.

"Uh..." Riku looked around for a moment and yawned. "N-nothing..."

Namine's hands and arms creeped up his chest and to his shoulders, then around his neck as she relaxed again against his warm body. Riku sighed peicefully and arapped both his arms around her gently, holding her tightly as she rested against him and he looked across the room blankly, full of thought.

Being stuck in school all night wasn't so bad. Not great, but... You get it...

Holding Namine like this made him a little more pissed at the fact he wasn't at home right now.

Namine made _everything_ feel better.

He shook his head and looked down at Namine, who was settled on his chest, sleeping again. "Oh, Namine..." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before he also fell back asleep.

**000**

"Why, why, _whyyyyyyyyy!?_" Kim whinned, practically screaming. "Why am I stuck here with _you_!?"

"I feel the same way." Roxas scowled, folding his arms and sitting next to Kim on the floor in the teachers lounge. "Nobody wan't to be stuck at school a whole night with a bitch like you."

"Well fuck." Kim barked.

"Well shit." Roxas barked back.

"It's your fault we got stuck in this room together." Kim sighed, getting up and trying to get the small T.V. that was in the room to work, but failed. All electricity was burnt.

"Hey, how was _I_ supposed to know the door was broken?!" Roxas huffed, following Kim over to the T.V. set.

"Get away from me!" Kim ran to the other side of the room, but Roxas only laughed and followed her.

"What's your probelm now?" He asked, nearing close to her again as she freaked.

Kim tried to walk away from him again, but Roxas grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Jeez, what's with you today?" he asked.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Kim smacked his hand away and sat on the couch, the one farthest away from him.

"What the hell is your problem?" Roxas asked a second time.

"I want _nothing _to do with you, Roxas." Kim gave him a look that made his blood run cold. "So just, stay away."

Roxas swollowed.

"Jeez..." He turned away from her and leaned against the wall. "Don't be so bitchy about it."

"I'll be as bitchy as I want!" She hissed.

"Fine!"

"Good!"

Roxas huffed and sat down, facing the opposite direction as her, avoiding all contact possible. She really pissed him off.

Kim did the same, only she was laying on a couch not looking at him. She'd rather look at _**anything **_besides his face right now.

_He made her ill._

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N: **:D Yeah, I got bored and didn't know what to do for another chapter before hawaii, so I did THIS!!! Haha, getting locked in school. That would suck... Oh, just a note: this isn't the only time Roxas gets locked int he school durring this story. :3 happens lots of times. just not yet. -.-'

I was editing future chapters I've already got planned and parshally typed up a lot today. If you'd like a little hint as to what's in store for this storys drama, go to itunes (or somthing...) and listen to the song "Face Down" by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It explains a little bit, kinda part of the theme. Gah, I'm gonna shut up now, I sound confusing.

THE AWARDS

Top reviewer of chapter 24: **Volume-5!!!!**

2nd place: **Naminecrys4Riku!!! **_:D thanks for all the reviews!_

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!!**

4rth place:**The Darkside Incarnate!**

REPLIES! (finally!)

**Volume-5... **_OHHHHHH! Thanks for the long review:D you're making me so happy!!! Oh, Kim says HI. ;D she likes talking to you. Haha, yeah, that mental image was nice. I was like, drooling. not really, but, close XD!!! Who's David Spade? XD Lol, don't forget to show me the next chapter before you re-write!!!_

**moonlighteXIII... **_Hey, Thanks:D I try with the detail, I'm glad you like it. X3 yes, I have a puppy. He's cute, I wuv him so much!!!_

**The Darkside Incarnate... **_Aw, thanks!!!!! Don't worry, I won't be typing the words "THE END" for a while, I'm not even at halfway point yet. _

**Kenshinroks2111... **_Thanks for visiting my site:D WOOO! XD I updated for youuuuuuu! Lol, I'm totally high off of mountian dew right now. X3 My new puppy is cute!!_

**Alpha Male... **_:D My puppys name is "Dude." That's what I called it when I was trying to figure out a name for it. XD I almost named it "Axel." _

**hanakitsunechan7... **_:D Thank you! Thank you! -bows to the Applause- I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, they do need the vacation. But Rikus brother Kyle isn't coming, I've decided. Kim and Fa'an are coming though, they're one of the main dramas in hawaii. DUN DUN DUN! X3 My puppys name is "Dude." _

**XFirefistaceX... **_XD Yes, Riku and Namine ARE cute. I've been rather obsessed with them lately. :D glad you like my one piece stories too!_

**Naminecrys4Riku... **_-evil laugh- how are you so sure Roxas and Kim are gettin' together? MWAHAHAHA!!! You'll see what happens. Lots of drama, that's for sure. Thanks, my b-day was fun. But, I can't tell you how old I am. :3 but I will tell you my age is inbetween 14 and 18. _

**sayshello3... **_X3 I named my puppy "Dude." XD You'll see just how attracted Roxas is to Kim soon -looks around- if at all. DRAMA! Yes, Kim strikes again. SPOILER: she takes those stolen tickets to take her and Fa'an, boyfriend, to hawaii witht he others. And, aw!!! Thanks, I'm glad you like my fic!!!_

LATER, PEOPLE

_Hardcore fluff is coming your way ;D_

Like, My dog just bodyslammed my dad D;-Cracker-Jacks000


	26. Let the world wait

**A/N:** Dang, I got reviews fast. D; I shouldn't ahve doubted you guys. -cough- -cough- not like I did but...

Moving on!

Review replies will be at the bottom as usual, and blah-blah-blah. Don'y forget to keep asking questions for ch. 28!!!

Like, OMG. I don't know why, but I'm obsessed with the song "Dizzy" right now.

**Disclaimer: **(this counts for the whole story) It's healthy to want things.

Enjoy chapter 26!!

**CHAPTER 26**

_(ZOMG GASP!)_

_**"Jeez..." He turned away from her and leaned against the wall. "Don't be so bitchy about it."**_

_**"I'll be as bitchy as I want!" She hissed.**_

_**"Fine!"**_

_**"Good!"**_

_**Roxas huffed and sat down, facing the opposite direction as her, avoiding all contact possible. She really pissed him off.**_

_**Kim did the same, only she was laying on a couch not looking at him. She'd rather look at anything besides his face right now.**_

_**He made her ill.**_

_The next day, wednesday, half way into 1st period._

_2 days before the flight to Hawaii._

Riku played around with his pencil as he stared at a blank sheet of paper while everyone else filled in answers to questions.

Damn, that hour he blew off that was suposed to be for studying would've come in handy by now.

English tests suck...

He'd cheat of someone... But... That wouldn't be right. Only Roxas had the nerve. well, maybe.

Namine seemed to be doing fine, besideds the occasional sigh. Kairi was already finished, so was Kim, and everyone else was going fine too. Was it always only Riku who didn't study? O. M. G!!

It wasn't all bad though... It was only worth, like, 10 points. Skipping this one wouldn't ruin his grade... Complettely.

All of a sudden Mrs. Brosmore stood up and yelled across the classroom, "Alright, pass your tests forward!"

"What?!" Riku balked, "But I'm not finsihed!"

"Does it look like I care?" The teacher huffed at him and took his blank test anyways. "It's not my grade that's going to fall."

"Aw, man..." Riku pouted.

The teacher then told everyone they could do whatever for the last 10 minutes of class until they had to leave for 2nd period.

The whole time Namine watched Riku as he stared out at the storm that was STILL taking place. Yes, they've been at school for a full 24 hours now.

But the good news was that the storm was supposed to die down in a few hours. They might get to go home today. And parents were called so nobody freaked out.

"Hey, Riku." Namine said as she walked to him from behind, grabbing his hand and leaning against his shoulder. "What'cha thinking about?"

"Hn." Riku grunted, as if to say "Nothin'..."

"You've seemed real upset lately." Namine was now standing in front of him, blocking his view of the window and tightening her hold on his hand. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

"You sound like my mother." He resisted the urge to laugh at her. "No, I'm fine."

"Your mom? You mean the one that lives in twighlight town?" Namine questioned, ignoring the "I'm fine" part of his reply.

"Yeah. She still calls a lot." Riku informed, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Doesn't it bother you that you don't see her a lot?" Namine asked.

"Nah, I like living in my brothers house, even though he's never home. means I've got more chances to hang out with you." Riku smiling warmly at her. "I just home we get to go home today... I'm tired of being here."

"The teachers are thinking about letting us have tomorrow off, y'know, because we were stuck here over night." Namine smiling back, slightly blushing.

"Oh really?" Riku smirked.

"Yeah." Namine conrinued, "If they do, we should go see a movie or something. I've got a little extra money, I could pay formyself, becuse you've been spending a lot of money on me lately."

"No, it's okay." Riku laughed. "I can pay. You got me a trip to HAWAII! It's the least i can do."

"Ri-"

"What movie do you want to see?" Riku asked.

Namine started to crack up, laughing so hard she got half the classes attention. "Riku..."

On the other side of the room Roxas and Kim were fighting... again... and over a pencil...

"It's mine!" Kim ripped the pencil from Roxas's hands.

Roxas took it back. "I don't see your name writen on it!"

"It's still mine!! Kim yelled, ripping the pencil from him again.

"OH MY GOD!" Mrs. Brosmore stood up, took the pencil, and broke it in half. "It's a freaking PENCIL! Staying at school overnight mustive goten to your heads." she then walked off munbling "Jesus!"

"I hate you." Kim sat down at her desk, folding her arms like a grump.

"Whatever." Roxas growled, sitting in his seat next to her.

"Go away."

"I don't want to."

"I don't care, go."

"No."

"**_Leave_**!"

"I said **_NO_**."

"Damn it," Kim got up, grabbing a book from her back pack, "then I'LL leave."

"Fine!" Roxas said, but Kim ignored him.

Roxas sat for a minute, mumbling about ungreatful preps, but after a few moments he looked up to see where Kim went out of curiousity.

Kim had picked a chair in the back of the class to sit down and read her book quietly, where she was left alone. Like she wanted.

Even though he knew Kim wouldn't want him to, he got up anyways to go see what she was doing again.

He leaned over the top of her, blocking her light and she looked up at him with an irritated expression. "_What?!_" She asked.

"What're you reading?" Roxas questioned.

"A book?" Kim cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No, what's the title?" Roxas asked again.

"Why do you care?" Kim replyed.

"Just cuz i do." Roxas forcfully grabbed the book from her and tryed to read the title, but failed. "Uh, er, um... Is this like in some kind of foren languadge?"

"Yes," Kim took the book from him. "It's in german."

"What's it mean?" Roxas raised his eyebrow.

"I don't know!" Kim answered simply. "But it's still a good book."

"Oh..." Roxas lost interest in the subject. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something. I saw you in town the other day with two tickets to Hawaii and I was wondering where you got-"

The bell suddenly rang and Kim took a break for it.

Damn.

He'd have to get her later.

**000**

At the end of the school day, the storm had finally died down, and everyone was alowed to go home so long as they went striaght home and didn't goof off.

As soon as the last bell rang, Riku, namine, Sora, Hayner, Kairi, and Roxas were all just outside of the school talking while everyone dashed through the snow to their bus or of to home.

"Uh, here Namine." Roxas handed Namine 2, 000 munny that he'd had in his pockets all day for her. "It's the money I got for you selling the tickets."

"Oooh, finally!" She took the munny. "I was afraid that you hadn't sold then yet cuz you lost them, silly me."

"Heh..." Roxas scratched the back of his head, knowing that's exactly that's what happend but not telling her. "I wouldn't do that..."

"Thank you!" Namine said before running off towrads home. "I'll see you at home, Riku!"

"Bye!" He waved at her then turned to Roxas as soon as she disapeared from sight. "How did you-?"

"I sold some things." Roxas cut him off. "Some very, very important things..."

"Do you mean you sold all your skateboards?" Hayner eyed him, wondering why he hadn't seen Roxas on anything-with-weels for about a week.

"Uh..." Roxas sighed miserably. "Yeah, I did..."

"WHAT!?" Sora balked. "I never thought you'd be that desprate!"

"Just don't tell Namine." Roxas warned. "She'll rip my head off is she finds out Kim took them."

"Kim has the tickets?" Riku asked. "Just take them from her."

"It's not as simple as that!" Roxas huffed.

"Whatever." Hayner rolled his eyes. "It's not my problem anyways."

"Man, shut-up!" Roxas punched him in the arm.

Before Sora could say ouch, Riku sighed and dragged him and kairi off.

Hayner was left behind with Roxas.

"That was stupid." hayner commented.

"What was?" Roxas asked.

"You losing the tickets." Hayner smirked.

"I told you that Kim too-" Roxas was cut off.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Hayner threw his arms into the air.

"But-"

"Shut-up!"

"Whatever..." Roxas mumbled as he threw his backpack over his shoulder and left to the train station for twighlight town. Hayner laughed, then followed him.

**000**

Sora and Kairi had split up from Riku and went to Sora's home as Riku left for his own home to meet up with Namine.

Once there, he stepped onto his pourch and opened the door, slowly walking into the house and shutting the door behind him.

He tip toed down the stairs to his room and peeked inside, but saw no sign of Namine. He saw he pack pack sitting in the corner of the room, but that was all.

He made a face, walked back up to the middle floor and turned the corner into the kitchen, where his kitten, Jynx, was sleeping in his cat bed off the the side of the room. Riku smiled at Jynx, grabbed a candy bar as a snack, and continued his search for Namine.

He looked in the living room, no Namine. He looked in his brothers room, no Namine. He even checked in the bathroom, NO Namine.

He didn't find her until he searched in the computer room where she was quietly typing away on the internet.

She looked up at him as he entered, shut the door behind him, and walked over to the desk where she was.

"What're you up to?" He asked.

"Chatting with Olette." Namine said as she continued typing.

"Oh." he leaned in over her shoulder to look at the screan as Namine continued chatting with her friends, reading their conversation.

**Olette: **What was with the pause?

**Namine: **I was busy for a minute.

**Olette: **Oh. With what?

**Namine: **Riku's back.

**Olette: **haha. :P I haven't seen Hayner in forever.

**Namine: **Aw, I'm sorry.

**Olette: **It's okay.

**Namine: **Hey, I gotta go.

**Olette: **;) Okay, bye.

**Namine:**D bye!

Namine ended the conversation and logged out of the computer, and spun around in the chair so she'd be facing Riku, who was behind her.

"Hey." She said, looking up at him and tilting her head quizically.

"Hey." Riku said back, helping her up from her seat. "It took a while to find you."

"Really?" Namine cocked an eyebrow.

"Nevermind." Riku shook his head. "I wanted to ask you a question."

"Hm?" She hummed, walking over to the door and opening is slightly, then stopping to look back at him as he followed her.

"I wanted to know if you'd like to watch a movie of something tonight with me." Riku asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." Namine smiled at him and stood at the half opened door.

"Namine," Riku started again, "We're leaving to Hawaii in 2 days, you excited?"

"Yeah, really excited!" Namine smiled brightly, stepping closer to Riku as she held both his hands in hers.

"Good." Riku grinned, "We need the vacation."

"Yeah," Namine sighed, "We do. It's been to heptic lately, I can't wait till I get to just relax."

"I can't wait to be able to spend more time with you." Riku smiled warmly, tightening his grip on her hands.

Namine smiled sweetly back, "Yeah, me too."

"Hey," He said as he leaned forward, brushing her stray hair that was in her face behind her ears, "How about, when we get to hawaii, I take you out to dinner first thing, before we unpack or anything."

"Oh..." Namine giggled, lifting her hand to his face to keep him close, "Riku..."

In the next short moment, Riku's lips captured Namine's as Namine's fingers slipped through his hair as she kissed him back.

As he slightly pulled her back side the room he closed the door again and pushed her into it, his kiss becoming more insistent and his touch more passionate. As he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, she wrapped her arms firmly around him shoulders and leaned into his chest further while her back was still being pressed against the wood of the door.

The pasion deepened as their lips moved along each others faster and tongues danced, both of them consumed by want and need. They couldn't stop it... they didn't want to.

Time moved quickly as Riku finally broke away for a breath of the humid air, and then kissed her again. And again. And again. _And again. _

Namine didn't hold back ether. When Riku borke away for air, shed playfully nibble at his bottom lip and giggled as he'd kiss her again with even more passion than before. She didn't protest as his hands moved lower to her thigh, and even lower when he desired so, which didn't take long.

Riku loved the way her body fit against his so perfectly, lust growing to extreme levels as he pressed his lips against hers harder, moving with hers in a sweet rythim .

God, he loved her.

But he'd save the "I-love-you's" for later. They could wait. Here and Now, he was satisfied with just kissing her. Namine felt the same, you could say.

Namine massaged the back of his neck gently while they kissed even more passionatly, letting time fly as they enjoyed and savored the moment.

The rest of the world, and reality, could wait for a little longer.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N:** Ah, fluff. The true essence of life. I hope it was writen well enough for ya'll!

Like, wow. D; I thought I'd be well into Hawaii by now. I'm slow. -shruggs- just means there's more for ya'll to read. Gives me more time to think up extras 'cause you all deserve them. WOOO!

-blush- I posted a picture of me the other day on my site that I share will Kim, Bre, and bathanie. -Sqee- and i don;t know why people would say it, but they were all like, "your cute!"

Am not... -glares-

THE AWARDS

Top reviewer of chapter 25: **Aska-Seeker!!!!** _-Invades your mind with pervertedness-ness-ness- _

2nd place: **Volume-5!!!** _WHOOOO! Can't wait till your update. _

3rd place: **XFireFistAceX!!**

4th place:**Naminecrys4Riku!**

REPLIES

well... OKAY. Although I doubt people really read them.

**kenshinroks2111... **_X3 yes, for you. XD yes, I'm involved with DA (deviant art) but, seriously, I can't STAND myspace. don't ask why. Thanks for the review! Hope this chapter was up to standards!_

**Aska-Seeker... **_I AM a pervert! haha, and I'm a girl. It's fun. X3 glad you liked the chapter, and no offence tacken. Yeah, I named my dog dude. Kina suits him. XD he's licking me right now. Thank for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter!_

**hanakitsunechan7... **_I'll reveal what Namine was drawing soon. :3 yep, Mn Hm. Thanks for the reveiw!_

**zealaya... **_NaminexRiku does rule. -sqee- hard core FLUFF! Thanks for the review!_

**XFireFistAceX... **_I liked that story of yours:D very well writen, my friend! Aw, I'm more than blissful to be your insperation. Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for the review!_

**Pheonix Helix... **_:3 I hope you get more into it too. I really do work hard on this story. -cries- thanks for the review!_

**BLOoDY RoSe... **_Twists are quite fun. -eyes you- but cha never know... -evil laugh- thanks for the review!_

**Alpha Male...** _:( I know it was short. -cries- once I'm on summer vacation, I promise I'll write a long, long, LONG chapter for you. Kay? Hope you liked the chapter. _

**Volume-5... **_You probably think there was more because i scent you the scene where Roxas and Kim were stuck in school together. But that was a different scene from a part way ahead in the story. :(sorry for confusion! Oh, another boy you like:0 We call them eye candy over here, when they are untouchable. Pure eye candy. ;) yeah... _

**Naminecrys4Riku... **_LOVE YA TOO:D I hope you liked the chapter. Even though writers blobk attacked me at first, writing the fluff was fun. really fun. _

**sayshello3... **_Aw, that's okay. I love it anyways :d yeah, getting locked in school would suck. Haha, but the thoght is funny, no?_

JUST A NOTE

_I almost didn't add Kim into the story. D; I thought once was enough (refering to first story) and then i though, what about the DRAMA?! COME ON! _

_Yeah, I didn't get what i was thinking ether. _

_Nope, not at all. _

_;3 I'm glad Kim is here, she's quickly going to become a main element of this story (besideds RikuxNamine. They rule the story. Literally D;)_

_Oh, by the by, I'm currently having issues with the real Kim. Why's is always about her? I look like her frigin' lackey, and she's one one that begged ME to be her friend. Un-freaking-believable. _

O...M...G

D; My friend Bethanie's friend's brother knows the lead singer of my fav. band.

Wicked.

I should like, totally beg him for a few backstage passes.

Nah, I don't beg.

Much...

BYE!

The authors not is already long enough.

Don't forget to ask me questions!

Fluff is my life. Period. -Cracker-Jacks000


	27. Tumble

**A/N:** :D yay! Thanks for all the reviews!!!

Remember to keep asking questions.

And... Enjoy chapter 27. -dances- The time is here! HAWAII:3 yep, they leave for Hawaii in this chapter.

:D This chapter is TOTALLY dedicated to my new reviewer!

ENJOY! (you all deserve it)

**CHAPTER 27**

_**God, he loved her.**_

_**But he'd save the "I-love-you's" for later. They could wait. Here and Now, he was satisfied with just kissing her. Namine felt the same, you could say.**_

_**Namine massaged the back of his neck gently while they kissed even more passionatly, letting time fly as they enjoyed and savored the moment.**_

_**The rest of the world, and reality, could wait for a little longer.**_

_Thursday, 4:30 P.M._

_1 day before the flight to Hawaii. _

"I love this place!" Kairi laughed, lounging on one of the benches in the mall with Sora. "I'm going to miss it when we're off in Hawaii."

"I'm sure there's a mall in Hawaii, Kairi." Sora sighed as he sat next to her. "You don't have to freak out."

"Hawaii..." Kairi stared off in space. "I forgot we're leaving tomorrow."

"2 weeks in paridice." Sora leaned back in the bench, lacing his hands behind his head in his trade mark pose.

"Hmmm..." Kairi hummed. "Yeah, it does."

"Hey," Sora got up, smiling as he held out a hand for Kairi, "Wanna get some ice cream?"

"Mm Hm." Kairi continued to hum, smiling back and letting him help her up.

On the way to the little sea salt ice cream shop, Kairi danced around overjoyed with her fixed leg.

"Finally!" Kairi sighed in releaf. "I thought I was ACTUALLY going to have to wait till January to get that stupid cast off my leg!"

"Haha," Sora laughed, "I'm glad you're happy."

When they reached the ice cream shop, Sora bought them both an ice cream cone to eat while they sat down on a bench just outside the mall while they enjoyed the view of the beach.

"I wonder what it's like in Hawaii." Kairi sqealed. "You tell me Sora, you've been there before. Right?" She looked at him.

Sora laughed. "It looks something like our island." He sighed piecefully. "Only prittier."

"Really?" Kairi rested her head on his shoulder as the sun set began to take place.

"Yeah." Sora rested his head on top of hers, relaxing back into the bench.

"Hey, Sora..." Kairi asked, slighly nuzzling her head in his shoulder.

"Mn Hm?" He asked.

"We should do something fun before the day's over. Y'know, before we leave for Hawaii early tomorrow." Kairi suggested.

"What do you wanna do?" Sora questioned, trying not to laugh again. He loved it when she was cute like this.

"Kairi smiled brightly and quickly shot up, bumping Sora's head a little bit. Standing up, she grabbed his hand and rushed him back into the mall. "Lets go see a movie!!!"

Sora laughed out loud. "Alright!" _Why not? _he thought.

_(A/N: Don't worry:3 there's some real fluff for them near the end of the chapter.)_

**000**

"Mmmmm..."Namine sighed, turning over in the bed she was sleeping in, slowly waking up. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she looked at was the clock.

_6:34 P.M. _

She turned over again and moned. GOD. How long had she been asleep? She and Riku shouldn't have stayed up as late as they did.

Namine then began laughing at the tought of Riku. Lucky was the only word she could think of to describe herself.

_Flat out lucky. _

She lazilly got up and out of bed, exiting Riku's room and heading up stairs to look for Riku.

She ended up finding him slouched over on the couch with his legs hanging over the arm rest as he watched T.V.

"Hi." Namine said as she walked in, and he jumped a little, shocked by her sudden apearence. But he lightened up when he realized it was only Namine.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Nothing much." Namine pushed him aside a little bit, forcing his to sit up as she sat next to him. "I just got up."

"You've been sleeping all day." Riku laughed.

Namine sighed. "Yeah, I know..."

"You shouldn't stay up so late." Riku laughed more.

Namine smirked, "You're the one that kept me up."

"Oh, blame it on ME!" Riku laughed harder.

"You know..." Namine leaned on Riku's side, relaxing into his chest as she grabbed the remote and changed the channel, ignoring Riku's sighed and grunts. "I should just move in here with you. Not like my dad misses me." Namine looked up at his blank face and smiled. "I like it here."

"Go ahead." Riku shrugged. "I don't mind. I like getting to see a lot of you."

"Heh..." Namine wrapped her arms around him, ralaxing against him further. "That reminds me. Where're you tacking me for dinner when we get to Hawaii?"

"Anywhere you wanna eat." Riku ran his fingers through her hair softly. "I just got a bunch of money from my mom."

"You're mom gave you money?" Namine made a face. "I can't get any of my family to give me a freaking penny."

"My mom gives me money ever now and then just because she lives a ways away. It's no big deal really." Riku shrugged.

"My dad spends all our money on bills." Namine huffed.

Riku laughed and changed the subject. "Which Hawaiian Island are we vacationing on?" Riku questioned.

"Maui." Namine smiled widely. "It's the Island my parents got married on."

"That's cool..." Riku stopped playing with her hair and changed the channel back to what he was originally watching, laughing while Namine tried to take back the remote.

Namine then stopped fussing and sighed to herself. "I just hope my dad isn't bringing some slut off the street. he's been gone a whole lot for a while. he hasn't even noticed I've been gone yet."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Riku tried to cheer her up. "Everthing will work out!"

_Everything will just "Work out"? _she thought. "Yeah." She said. "I hope so."

**000**

"This sucks..." Roxas groaned while Axel and Reno laughed at him.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE you actually sold your skateboards!" Axel was bouncing off the walls with laughter.

"You Idiot!" Reno laughed along.

"Ah, Shut-up!" Roxas slapped the both of his friends upside their heads.

"Jeez, Roxas." Axel rubbed the back of his head with a funny expression on his face. "_Attitude_!"

_(A/N: Lol, I just had to add a little of them...)_

**000**

"I can't believe we got stuck watching the same movie as Sora and kairi." Hayner pointed to the couple sitting next to them. "We're supposed to be here _alone_."

Olette laughed at him. "I't alright. I don't mind."

"But _I_ do." Hayner whinned.

Olette nudged him him playfully. "By the look on Sora's face, I can tell he's thinking the same thing!"

Hayner rolled his eyes and continued watching the movie that was shone on the big screan in front of them.

The movie went on and Hayners grumpy mood didn't lighten up _at all._

Of cource, Olette noticed. Being the typical girl she was watching hayner's expressions instead of the movie the whole time.

"Hey," She tapped him on the shoulder, "are you okay?"

He grunted.

She took that as a big-fat "NO."

She sighed and frowned. Why were guys just like this sometimes? She hated seeing Hayner all upset like the way he was.

So, she leaned up and kissed him on the check. "Lighten up..." She whispered as she pulled away and Hayner looked at her suddenly, shocked. But she _did _see an imporvment in his mood.

"What was that for?" Hayner asked, embarrased that his face was turning 2 shades of red.

"You just seemed like you needed it." Olette smiled at him warmly.

"Uhh... Yeah." He started to laugh softly at her, and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Thanks."

"No problem." Olette snickered. "_My pleasure_."

**000**

"This is freaking stupid..." Leon groaned, lounging on Aeriths couch with Cloud as he watched Aerith and Yuffie chace after 2 five year old childeren.

"Tell me about it..." Cloud sighed, "They're always dragging us along when they're babysitting for some stranger..."

"Aw, quit complaining!" Yuffie shouted. "You babys!"

Leon rolled his eyes and Cloud sighed once more.

This was the WORST way to spend their day off...

_(A/N: -cries- I don't add much of them..)_

**000**

Kairi smiled as she walked out of the malls theater holding Sora's hand and laughing. "That was a great movie!" Kairi exclaimed.

"I can't believe we got stuck watching the same movie as Olette and Hayner..." Sora mumbled, throwing away an empty soda bottle.

"It's not that bad." Kairi laughed playfully. "They're our _friends_, remember?"

"Mnnn." Sora grunted.

Once they reached the outside of the mall, where Soras mom's car was parked, they got inside the car and Sora began driving for home again.

"Wow..." Kairi comented on the way to Sora's house. "It got dark fast!"

"Yeah. That movie was pretty long." Sora agreed.

Kairi sighed, "Too bad it's winter..."

"It's bright and sunny in Hawaii. We'll be there for 2 weeks." Sora stated.

Kairi smiled again, "I can't wait."

"My mom's dropping us off at the airport at 6 A.M. tomorrow to meet Namine and the others." Sora told.

"6 A.M.?!" Kairi exclaimed. "Why so early?!"

"The fight for Hawaii leaves at 7:00 A.M." Sora laughed at her terrified expression.

"So that means I'm staying the night at your house?" Kairi asked.

"Yep." Sora smirked.

Soon after the car stopped at Sora's house and the two got out and Sora lead Kairi inside his home he shut the door behind them. Kairi set her things in the living room and followed Sora upstairs to his room.

"You really don't pick up after yourself much, do you?" Kairi laughed at her embarresed boyfriend once they were in his room.

"Yeah, well, my mom was supposed to do it for me." Sora said sheepishly.

"Aw.." Kairi laughed at him. "Moma's little boy?"

"Haha," he laughed. "Shut-up."

"Dang, is it already 9:30 P.M?" Kairi groaned, sitting on Sora's bed and staring out the window in his room at the little island they used to play at.

"Yeah, time flies." Sora sat next to her, leaning against the rim of the window, staring at the same thing she was staring at.

"How long has it been?" Kairi asked.

"What?" Sora questioned, looking at her complettely oblivious.

"How long's it been since we visited the little Island?" Kairi asked again.

Sora looked back outside of the window and shrugged. "I dunno."

"I wanna go." Kairi suddenly got up, tugging at Sora's arm. "Can we? Just for a little...?"

"To the Island?" Sora made a face. "But wh-"

"_Please_." Kairi begged, almost looking distressed.

"Okay." Sora got up again, leaving his home with Kairi and taking their boats down the the Island like they used to do.

As soon as their boates reached the soft sand of the beach Kairi jumped out and examined the quiet area while Sora caught up with her.

"Why'd you wanna be here so bad?" Sora asked. "At this time of night-" he was cut off.

"I forgot how pretty it was here!" Kairi danced in the grainy, cold sand after she took off her shoes and threw them back into her boat.

Sora took a minute to look around and relaxed a bit, smiling warmly at her as she spun in circles, taking in the sweet scent of the small Island. "Heh, me too..."

"Hey, Sora?" Kairi stopped to look at Sora.

He looked at her, "Yeah?" he asked.

Kairi stood next to him and looked out at the ocean, "Remember when you and Riku would fight over my attention, or those stilly little races from one end of the Island to the other?"

"Yeah," Sora laughed, "I miss the races most."

Kairi laughed deviously. "Oh really?"

"Yeah." Sora looked at her again and made a face as she snicked evilly.

She then pushed him (-.- with a lot of force too) and shouted, "I'll race you to the other end of the beach!" She then began running as Sora was caught off gaurd.

"H-hey!" He ran after her faster, laughing.

When he finally caught up, Kairi was pushing him playfully again so she'd win the race.

"Hey! Quit it!" Sora laughed.

"No!" Kairi laughed right back at him.

"That's it!" Sora laughed harder as he grabbed her by the waist from behind and the two of them fell to the ground, rolling over the sand and into the shallow water. When they finally stopped, Kairi was on the ground with Sora on top of her looking down at her shocked face.

One of those "Uhh..." momments.

"S-sorry." Sora laughed, attenpting to get up but a wave from the ocean pushed him down again.

Kairi stared laughing histerically. "You little!" She punched him in the side playfully. "I guess you win..."

Sora laughed too, rolling over so he'd be laying in the muddy water next to her. "You're funny."

"You're cute."

Sora's face suddenly turned every shade of red imaginable. Kairi just continued to laugh at him, and sat up, staring up at the stars above them.

Sora also sat up, gazing off into the dark blue sky with her. oddly, they weren't bothered by the freezing water.

"Hey, Kairi." Sora asked out of the blue. "Wat're you thinking about?"

Kairi smiled sweetly at him. "Nothing. Just watching the stars."

"One track mind, hm?"

"What?" Kairi made a face.

Sora laughed. "Never mind."'

"You're a bum." She laughed.

"Yup." Sora laughed along.

Kairi's head rested on his shoulder and she sighed piecefully as the time continued to pass by slowly.

"Kairi?" Sora asked after a while.

She looked up at him, "Hm?" She hummed.

"I love you." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips softly, the palm of his hand reaching the side of her face and caressed her check gently.

Kairi leaned into his and her hands creeped up his chest and her arms wrapped around his neck as they fell into the water once again, one of his arms wrapping around her waist to support her.

"I love you too." Kairi whispered agains his mouth, playing with the wet spikes of his hair.

Time continued to pass as they savored the moment until it was time to head back for Sora's dry home, where they dried off and fell asleep in the living room.

_(A/N: -cries more- I don't write much about them anymore. I promise I'll try to add more of the soraxkairi fluff soon)_

**000**

_Friday, 6:30 A.M._

_The day of the flight to Hawaii!!!!!!_

"What are _YOU_ doing here?!" Namine hissed.

Namine and Kim were at it again.

Screaming nose-tonose with lightning in the background. Bitch fights were never fun.

"I got a few free tickets, bitch!" Kim barked, "I'm here with my borfriend!"

"Oh, I bet you just can to big the hell out of me! Boyfriend my ass!" Namine screamed, catching unwanted attention.

An offices aproached then and pulled them apart, serious expression and all. "Break it up! Please, leave to your plains or I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"

Riku and the rest of the group of Namine's friends palmed their foreheads.

"Let's go, Riku!" Namine grabbed his arm and marched of to her plain, followed by the rest of her friends and Kim and Fa'an.

Just outside of the plain, Kim and Fa'an got on the plain before everyone else because Namine stopped to talk to her dad who was waiting for her.

"Hey girly." Namine's father pulled her into a sort of sideways hug. Namine hugged him back unwillingly. "Took you long enough. I haven't seen you in forever, where've you been?"

"Riku's house." Namine said simply, and Riku hid his expression from namine's dad.

"Oh." Her Father then changed the subject. "I brought a guest, if you don't mind." Then a tall, pretty woman stepped into view and Namine hissed at her.

"Dad!"

"You've brought at least 10 people, I'm alowed to bring a friend." Her father started.

Riku sighed, he was in for an earful when he and Namine were along now...

"A_ friend_?" Namine gave the woman a dirty look.

"Namine!" Her dad scolded. "Don't be rude! She's a friend!"

"Yeah, whatever dad." She snarled, grabbing Riku's arm once again and marching into the plain to sit in their seats.

Namine's dad sighed, and followed Namine and her friends.

Tidus, wakka, and Selphie has a row of seats up front, right in front of Kim and fa'an. Namine, Riku, and Roxas were sitting in a row near the back with Riku in the middle, and Hayner, Olette, and pence were somewhere in the middle. Namine's dad and the mystery woman were in a whole different part of the plane and Kairi and Sora sat alone across from Olette, Hayner, and Pence.

As the plain took off, Roxas and namine were both snarling on both sides of the ticked Riku, who already knew they'd be complaining the whole way to hawaii.

Around nighttime, Namine had falled asleep on Riku's shoulder while he wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and Roxas continued to stay wide awake.

"What ever made you go out with _Kim_?" Roxas hissed, upset that Kim was actually using the stollen tickets to attend the so called vacation for winter break.

"There's only 2 words to describe Kim, Roxas." Riku sighed. "Man eater."

"Yickes." Roxas flinched.

"Yeah." Riku shook his head. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep."

"Whatever." Roxas grunted.

They still had a ways to go before they reached Maui, Hawaii.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!!!+**

**A/N: **haha, I feel evil now. Yes, i had to end it there. but at least there was some fluff for Sora and Kairi! (finally!)

THE AWARDS

Top reviewer of chapter 25: J**akall Alivair!!!! **_How nice of you! I loved the review! X3 -sqee-_

2nd place:**Volume-5!!!**

3rd place:**Aska-Seeker!!**

4th place:**breanna-meow-meow! **_Hey, buddy..._

REPLIES

**hanakitsunchan7... **_XD Hard core fluff! Woot woot! yes, It may have gone very far with those two XD. _

**XFireFistAceX... **_X3 I can't wait to read chapter 2!!!_

**Phoenix Helix... **_:3 Don't forget to ask that question for the next chapter. -happiness- I'm glad you liked the chapter!_

**zealaya... **_Woot! Fluffies:D I updated!_

**Alpha Male... **_:D They left for Hawaii! FINALLY:3 I'm excited. _

**kenshinroks2111... **_:d yes, fluff IS back. Thank you! Nope, I don't have a friend that luvz my story and tells me to update, but Kim reads it sometimes. :D I've got you and the other reviewers for that._

**Volume-5... **_-dances- you decided not to deleat your story!! YAY! That made me wanna update right away. So... This updates for you!!! (and the new reviewer XD) WHOO! haha, eye candy is delicious. Riku is FINE! haha, I don't give a damn about what other people think ether. Let me like who I want, I say! even if it is a fictional charecter!_

**Aska-Seeker... **_haha, Riku's mine! I feel bad for Roxas too. Poor, poor roxie-kins. -sigh- I don't care much for those final mix things, it only means I've ot to play the game over again for a few extras. I'd rather shoot for youtube. _

**The Darkside Incarnate... **_XD yes, you will have to keep reading. . and reviewing XD_

**hitman33333... **_Really? THANK YOU! If you do write it, I'll read. ;3 just warn me first._

**moonlightXIII... **_Amen! XD Yes, I'll try to keep up the good work. _

**Naminecrys4Riku... **_XD I get my insperation for fluff from all my reviewers! Like you!!! (and "that's why" by talitha koum) :D I'm glad you like my story!! LOVE YA! _

**Breanna-meow-meow-... **_XD MWAHAHAHAHAHA! I just had to end it there, didn't I? -snickers evilly- you pervert!_

**Jakall Alivair... **_Aw! That is SO nice of you! haha, I'll answer your questions in the next chapter, don't worry. and thanks for the suggestions! haha, I feel blessed that you like my story so much! haha, and you're the first person that hasn't pointed out my horrible spelling! YAY! lol, my newest, number one, knuckle headed fan jake? heehee, thanks! I look forward to more reviews from you! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

**Sayshello3... **_XD Aw, thanks! I'm glad you liked the fluff, I'll write some more later for you!!!! I'm happy you enjoy my chappies so much! ;3 hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

BYE!!

_Don't foget to ask questions so I can answer then in the next chapter!_

_Lov yas!_

Damn! Sora got game!-Cracker-Jacks000


	28. Hawaii

**A/N: **_WHOO! _Chapter 28! ;D alright! I've noticed a lot more reviews lately, and I really apreciate the effort all of you put into your reviews, so I'm not saying when, but soon I'm gonna have an EXTRA long chapter for you guys. Just hold on a while, it's coming.

Tell you what, if I get 10 or more reviews this chapter, I'll give all of you a spoiler of your choice. Yep, ANYTHING you wanna know. My turn to spill. So keep reviewing, ya'll are awesome!

p.s. all questions answered at the end of the chapter. YAY!

oh, and I'm skipping the replies this time around. But they'll be back next chapter.

Enjoy the chapter! _(H-A-W-A-I-I!!!)_

**CHAPTER 28**

**_"There's only 2 words to describe Kim, Roxas." Riku sighed. "Man eater."_**

**_"Yickes." Roxas flinched._**

**_"Yeah." Riku shook his head. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep."_**

**_"Whatever." Roxas grunted._**

**_They still had a ways to go before they reached Maui, Hawaii._**

Hayner took a deep breath, leaning up against the window next to his seat in the plane. Could this trip take ANY longer?

Olette stayed quiet, staring up at the TV, Pence messed around with his camera, Roxas continued to glare greivingly at Kim, Sora and Kairi were going on and on about god-knows-what, Namine's dad and mystery woman continued to stay out of sight, and Riku was too busy flirting with Namine to notice Kim looking at Namine like she wished she had a gun. Fa'an stayed out of it.

1 whole hour left before they made it to Maui, Hawaii, 7 P.M. More than 24 hours from where the plane took off.

"Haha," Namine laughed, "I used to be afraid of hights, now I can't stop staring out the window!"

"Cool, huh?" Riku laughed.

"I never knew the ocean was so big... It's like it's endless." Namine gawked, gazing down from the window next to her seat.

"Mn Hm." Riku grunted, searching for something else to talk about.

"Hey," Namine turned her head from the window to him. "How much longer do you think it'll take till we're in Hawaii?"

Riku shrugged. "I dunno. Soon, I guess..."

Namine freaked. "I'm so excited!" She sighed greatfully, "2 whole weeks in paradise!"

Riku relaxed, smiling at his ever-excited girlfriend. "Yeah, 2 whole weeks of-"

"OH MY GOD!" Roxas cut him off.

Riku growled, "What is it this time?"

"Dude, get up!" Roxas stood up, pulling at his friend's arm, "we're here!"

"Really?!" Namine shot up, pushing her way past Riku and Roxas and to the front of the plane where everyone waited unwillingly for them to let them off and into the airport with their things.

Riku and Roxas followed her. "Wow, she's so happy, you'd think she forgot Kim was here." Riku commented.

"Kim's a bitch." Roxas huffed.

"I heard that!" Kim snarled, pushing inbetween and past the both of them, followed by Fa'an who laughed at the two boys.

"Riku, hurry up!" Namine rushed back to where Riku was, grabbed his arm, and dragged him all the way up to where the people were finally being let off.

Roxas rolled his eyes and proceeded onward and off the plane, where the others were waiting.

Namine was jumping around in a hurry, making sure everyone was present, and Riku was carrying her bags. Roxas dashed the rest of the way to where the group was, got his bags, and Namine's dad lead Namine and all her friends out of the air port and into several different taxi cars. Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Hayner, and Olette in one. Riku, Namine, Pence, Roxas, Sora, and kairi in another. Namine's dad and the mystery woman had a taxi car by themselfs. Namine ignored it though. Kim and Fa'an went their own way to only god-knows-where and Riku was releaved that at least Kim didn't follow them to the hotel also.

Once at the beach-side hotel, Everyone unloaded out of the taxi cars with their bags and belongings and faced the beach where the hotel was located.

Kairi, Olette, Selphie, and Namine's jaw nearly dropped to the sandy ground.

"Oh... My..." Selphie started.

"Gosh." Kairi and namine finished in unison.

Olette was too stunned to even breath. The destiny Islands had some competition. This was BEUTIFUL! Never had any of them seen something so breath taking.

Even Roxas's mouth was shut.

"Wow..." Namine gazed off out at the white beach and glossy waters, where the single most stunning sun-set was taking place right before her.

Riku walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head up against hers. "Jeez," He snorted, "Destiny Island doesn't even compare."

Namine hugged his arms. "Tell me about it."

"The hotels not that bad looking ether." Riku's statement made Namine's focus swich to the hotel.

"Yeah, it doesn't." Namine agreed.

"So," Riku started, laughing seductivly, "how about that date?"

Namine opened her mouth to reply but was cutt short by her father shouting over the crowd of her friends. "Let's get to the hotel and unpack, then you all can do whatever. There's enough rooms for you all to split up." He told, leading everyone onward to the hotel.

Riku sighed and pulled away.

Namine smiled at him. "Give me a bit to unpack, okay?"

Riku laughed, "Sure."

"Namine, hurry up!" Selphie shouted, "come on!"

"Coming!" Namine shouted back, grabbing her things as Riku did and heading off into the hotel with the others.

Once there, she and Riku ended up getting a room together after all, considering sora and kairi took a room, wakka, tidus, and Selphie shared a room, Olette, hayner, and pence shared a room, Roxas had his own room, ect. There were 2 empty rooms left. One room on the side of the building closer to the ocean, and the other right next to Roxas on the other side of the hotel; the side nearest the small, pleasn't little town that they were next to. Namine's dad was sure to pick a quiet, but pretty area.

While everyone unpacked in thier rooms, Namine's dad and the new woman were already unpacked and strolling around on the top level of the hotel.

"Ah," Namine's dad breathed in the sweet air, "things here haven't changed one bit.

"Have you told Na-" The woman was cut off.

"Namine'll be fine." He reassured. "She's tough."

"But I really think you should-" She was cut off again.

"Just give her some time to warm up, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

Meanwhile, in Sora and Kairi's room they were also talking about more serious things.

"There's gotta be a catch, I know it." Sora sighed while unpacking his clothes into the closet.

"Oh, there's no catch!" Kairi laughed at him. "Namine's just really nice."

"Oh, come on!" Sora faced her, "why in the world would she all of a sudden be like, "wanna go to Hawaii?"

"You didn't suspect anything when Olette took us to Las Vegas." Kairi folded her arms, sitting on the bed. She figured she'd finished unpacking later in the night.

"That's different." Sora groaned.

"How so?" Kairi pressed on, tilting her head in confusion.

"Olette's just, like that. Namine's not." Sora finished up un packing and stood in front of Kairi.

"Well, you're right," Kairi started, "but just enjoy yourself, okay?" She then got up and smiled at him, "We're in hawaii! There's nothing to worry about."

"But what if something horrible happens? What then? I don't wanna say "I told you so." Sora was even more distressed. "What if Namine's dad had something up his sleave or something!? I _really _don't trust that man."

Kairi punched him playfully in the arm, "Get over it!"

"But what if-" Sora had been cut off.

"Wat if, what if, what if!" Kairi mocked him, "Tell me, has anything happened yet? No."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it," Kairi repeated, "you'll be fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Sora said under his breath, too softly for kairi to hear.

"What?" She asked, making a face.

"It's nothing," He grabbed her hand and lead her out of the room, "let's go find something to eat at the buffet upstairs..."

"Whatever, Sora." Kairi laughed.

**000**

"Oh, would you look at this place!" Kim danced around on the beach while Fa'an watched her, seemingly emotionless.

"Mn." He snorted. "Whatever."

She stopped and looked at him. "What's the matter with you?"

"Everythig." He rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm going to unpack at that hotel you mentioned. Follow."

Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!

Did he just give KIM and COMAND!?

Kim looked down for a moment, then sighed. "Whatever, Fa'an."

DID SHE JUST OBEY!?

Whatever happened to 'nobosy crosses Kim'? What was the world coming to?

She reached for his hand, but he rejected it and walked faster, making Kim have to keep a quick pace to keep up with him. What ever got into he head? What was with handing over all her forceful power?

This wasn't good...

**000**

"Are you finished _yet?_" Riku asked, laying on the bed in the hotel room he and Namine now ofically shared. "It's been an hour! Not much longer before it's pitch black out there!_ Come on_, Namine!"

"Hold on!" Namine howled, "I'm almost finished!"

"You said that 10 minutes ago." Riku mumbled under his breath.

"Done!" Namine turned around to face him, her hands placed on her hips.

Riku sat up. "Took you long enough!"

"Well I'm so-_rry_!" Namine then folded her arms, obviously not very happy at the moment.

Riku sighed. "No, it's okay. Let's just go before it's too la-"

"Namine!" Namine's father barged into the room, not bothering to even knock.

"What!?" She asked coldly.

"I have to talk to you for a moment." He then looked at Riku, who's eyes widened when he looked at him. almost like he was scraed. "Alone."

Riku grunted and got up, "Fine!" He then looked over his shoulder and at Namine. "Meet me outside when you're finished."

As soon as Riku was gone, Namine walked up to her father and asked, "What do you want, dad?"

"I just wanted to say... Sorry."

Namine cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

Her father sighed. "About bringing Brittny." (A/N: GAWD. I hate that name)

"Who?" Namine made face.

"The woman I brought along."

"Oh," Namine rolled her eyes, "So? You're just friends, I mean, it's not like she's your girlfriend or anything."

"Uh, That's the thing-" He was cut off.

"Namine!" You could hear Riku moan from all the way outside, "HURRY UP!"

"I gotta go, Riku promised me he'd take me somewhere tonight." Namine started for the exit.

"Aw." Her father commented.

Namine ignored him. "We'll talk later."

With that she left the hotel and walked off into the little town with Riku while her father made his way back up to the top level of the hotel, where you-know-who was waiting.

**000**

"Your dad sure likes to talk a lot." Riku sighed. "I thought I'd never get you outa that hotel!"

Namine laughed, finally in a better mood. Unpacking was never all that much fun, 'specially when you've got your boyfriend breathing down your neck the whole time. "I warned you that my dad might get in the way."

"Yeah..." Riku's stomach growled, "Let's find a place to eat, and fast."

"Agreed." Namine smiled at him.

They ended up finding a small shack close enough to the beach that they'd get to see the ocean from the windows they had put in.

Namine and Riku ate rather slowly, and when they were finished they ended up not having to pay for the meal because the manager thought they were cute.

After exiting the place, they wandered off onto the beach next to the ocean.

"Look!" Namine exclaimed, pointing at the sky beyong the sea. "The sun set, it's still taking place!"

Riku shoved his hands in this pockets and stood next to her, grinning. "Yup."

Namine clung to his arm. "It's almost over though." She looked up at him. "It'll be too dark to stay out soon."

"So?" He asked, then laughed. "I'll stay out as long as I want!"

Namine laughed at him and let go of his arm. "Well I'm not gonna come find you when you're lost."

"Who says I'm not gonna keep you here with me?" He grinned.

"Who says I'm gonna listen to _you_?" She nudged him playfully. namine then began walking in the direction of the hotel. "Look at me, Riku! I'm walkin' away, what'cha doing to do about it?"

"This." Riku grabbed a hold of her suddenly and picked her up off of her feet.

"Riku!" Namine laughed.

Riku than neared the water with her, laughing evilly as if he were about to throw her into the ocean. Namine gave him a look that read 'bring it on.' he gave her a look back that rea d 'it's been brought.'

With that, Riku tossed Namine into the water and he jumped in after her happily.

It was a good thing it was just the shallower water that went up to their waist, or namine would've murdered him.

"R-riku!" Namine didn't expect he's actually do it. He could've let her take of her shoes first at least...

He laughed histerically and fell into the water, floating on his back. "Take that." He chuckled.

"Oh yeah," She stood above his and grabbed his face, "TAKE THIS!" She dunked his head under the water several times, as if trying to drown him.

Riku managed to break free of her death grip and waved his hand in the air in defeat, "Okay, alright, fine. You win."

Namine folded her arms. "Well, what now? I'm already all wet, along with everything else I'm wearing. What do we do now?"

"Might as well go back to the hotel then..." Riku sighed.

"Really?" Namine sounded suprised.

"No!" Riku charged at her, wrapping his arms around her waist

"Wha-" Was all Namine managed to get out before Riku swept her off her feet and silenced her with a kiss.

She sighed against his mouth and flung her arms around his shoulders, for the moment forgetting that they were ever waist-deep in salt water.

Riku pulled away for a short moment. "There," He said, "Take _that_."

Namine's hand reached the back of his head and down the side of his face as she grinned mischievously, pulling his face back towards hers, kissing him back. He tiled his head and pressed his lips against hers harder and tightened his grip around her small frame.

(A/N: XD I know, this is totally random, but I'm listening to nelly furtado again. I don't really like her kind of music, but I've been dancing to it all day! Kim was over not too long ago, and we were dancing to Promiscuous and man eater XD)

Namine grinned seductivly and massaged the back of his neck, kissing him back with just as much force.

Yeah... They'd be out after dark.

**000**

Roxas sighed, walking around town, trying to ignore all the skateboards that were on sale, that he still didn't have enough money for.

He ended actually walking into one of the stores and fussing over one of the skate boards that caught his eye, which brought a lot of un-needed attention to himself.

Is whinning also attracted the manager of the store, who walked up and laughed at him, "No money, I'm guessing?"

Roxas noddded his head slowly, not even bothering to look and see who it was.

"Tell you what, work here the rest of the night and I'll let you take it home with you."

"What!?" Roxas turned to look at the man, "seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously."

"Alright!" Roxas nearly jumped ten feet into the air. "What do i do first?"

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** _Oh yeah_. FLUFF. 3 chapters in a row too, haha, I spoil you guys.

First off... the awards!

AWARDS!

Top reviewer: **Jakall Alivair!!!!**

2nd place: **Volume-5!!!** _haha, she's a man eater, make ya work hard! lol, I was listening to that song when i wrote the chapter._

3rd place:**sayshello3!!**

4rth place:**hitman33333!**

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q: **In the preview you gave, what happens to Kim? **A: _I can't tell yet, but it's bad. Here's a hint: listen to the song face down by the red jumpsuit apparatis. That gives away a lot. _

Q: **Where's Namine's Dad? **A: _Off flirting with "Mystery Woman." _

Q: **Where's Kyle, and does he have his whip cream? **A: _Yes, he's been re-united with his beloved whip cream. He's been off partying lately. He won't be back for a bit._

Q: **What's in store for Hawaii?** A: _Drama, lots of it. A lot of romance too, and beach parties. Christmas, and a WEDDING... (dun dun dun)_

Q:**What new charecters do you plan on adding? **A: _It depends what I come up with. I already have planned onadding a girl names "Nammah" she's a charecter I'm working on now, actually. I might change her name though XD I've also been working on another... Let's just say she's Kim "reborn." _

Q: **What happens next for everyone? **A: _Well, Roxas gets a girl, there's a wedding in hawaii, Kim gets a taste of her own meddicin (although it's a bit much, even for her) Sora and kairi get a little closer, what with... A'hem, you'll see. XD but it's not what you're thinking. Ah, too much stuff to name._

Q: **what will happen in Hawaii? **A: _Romance, a wedding, and... oh... violence on Fa'ans part._

Q: **who's the woman Namine's dad brought along? **A: _Someone Namine doesn't like XD You'll see. Things get "difficult" _

Q:**Will there be an "ANOTHER STORY 3?" **A: _Something like that. Now, I am planning on doing a thrid story. But a short one. probably not more than 15 chapters. I'll reveal more about it around the end of Hawaii._

Q:**What's gonna happen next? **A: _Drama. _

Q: **Is Namine gonna be happy in Hawaii? **A: _Half in half. Goos things happen and really bad things happen. Let's just say there's a "wedding" involved. _

Q: **What's gonna happen with Roxas and Kim? **A:_They get closer, because of an incedent coming up. by the end of it, they're kind of "friends" and then... well... You'll have to wait and see._

Q:**Will the blitz Ball team go to the Bahamas?** A: _yes. _

Q: **Will you add vincent Valentine? **A: _maybe, I might. I don't know much about him. _

Q: **Will there be a scene with leon and everyone durring Christmas? **A: _Yes, yes there will be. _

Q: **Is Roxas gonna realize he actually likes Kim? **A: _But what if he doesn't? XD You'll see how things work out between the two. But the clouds int he sky will be dark before the sun comes out. _

Q:**I remember in Another Stroy, Namine mentioned her 'brother'. Will he show up in this story? **A: _haha, maybe. Still haven't made up my mind. _

HEY, GO EASY ON ME

_My dog, A'hem... the one I got for _my_ B-day. Yeah... He's well... -bursts into tears- HE'S DYING! For all I know, he's only got months left. And there's something about that dog that just reaches my heart, this sucks so bad. I broke down twice durring school, too. He just doesn't deserve this. _

_A note I want EVERYONE to remember: Life is precious, breath every breath like it's your life. We aren't eternal. _

BYE!

_I'm gonna go play with my dog..._

_Don't forget questions. :D more will be answered in chapter 31!_

And then, the teacher rapped to grammer... -Cracker-Jacks0000


	29. Not good

**A/N: **Hey, thanks for the reviews!!! But, considering only 1 person asked for a spoiler, I guess that 1 PERSON gets it and that's it. :D oh well.

Anoywho, I've got some important stuff to tell you all in the bottom authors note, so read it. but for now...

ENJOY! (p.s. none of the stuff I have to tell you is bad news, don't worry :D It's actually really good.)

**_P.S._** There's a new, AWESOME story I've been reading called "The Light Within The Darkness" By **XFireFistAceX! **It's RikuxNamine, so if anyone's interested it'd be a great story to read! Thank youz!

**CHAPTER 29**

The sun the next morning rose early in the A.M. Rays of light shinned through the white curtains that hung over the window in Namine and Riku's room meekly as the time reached 8 A.M. Namine turned over on her side, and to her other side as she faced Riku and yawned, inhaling and exhaling deeply, blowing some of Riku's hair left and right. The waking up process for Namine was always slow. Riku, on the other hand, was a light sleeper, and usually was the first one up.

Sitting up and stretching his arms into the air while Namine continued to sleep soundly, he flung his feet over the side of the bed and they reached the white carpet quietly. He stood up and stretched once more before grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt to get dressed in for the day. While he did so in the rather large bathroom within the room, Namine was slowly coming to senses and opening her eyes lazily as she turned over, again, (nearly falling off the other end of the bed) and sighing as the light from the sun gleaming through the window met her eyes.

She covered her face as a poor attempt to block off the rays and sat up, yawning and stretching as Riku exited the bathroom and back into the main room.

"Morning!" He greeted loudly, catching her attention and gaining all attention.

"How long have you been up?" She asked, taking time to notice he was already ready for whatever they had planned for the day.

"Ooooh…" Riku scratched the back of his head, "Maybe 15 minutes…"

"What time is it?" Namine asked a second question.

"8:20 A.M." Riku answered.

"Ahhhh!" Namine whined, falling back into the bed. "Why do you get up so early? I bet nobody else has even started to wake up yet."

"I'm sure Roxas is awake." Riku sat on the end of the bed next to Namine's body. "I saw him at 5 in the morning."

"You were up at 5:00 A.M?" Namine seemed disgusted.

"It was a little hard to ignore his screaming," Riku laughed, "Leave it to you to sleep though something like that."

"What was he screaming about?" Namine sat up again next to Riku.

"Something about a skateboard." Was Riku's reply.

"Another one?" Namine got up and headed for the bathroom, saying "He's insane" before walking in and shutting the door behind herself.

**000**

Roxas was already out and about on his brand new skateboard, riding down the boardwalk next to the beach where he could watch the sun rise while he rode. He couldn't help but notice that things were so peaceful in the morning, besides the annoying birds chirping in his ears. He'd been up all night, no sleep. Not since the plane here. And oddly, he just wasn't tired. In fact, he was more awake than ever! More so!

His eyes were fixed on the horizon (which wasn't too safe considering he was on a piece of wood with wheels), but every once in a long while he'd stare off at the beach to watch the early rising couples who trotted about and flirted.

After a while, his eyes caught a familiar looking two people near a big boulder right next to the tide sparing it out with loud words even he could hear from the distance. Phrases like "Shut-up!" "Quit it!" and "Get out of my face!" 2 of which the boy was shouting, while the girl was a bit quieter, but still obviously furious.

He stopped his board to he could walk up a little closer to get a better look at who it was. And, just like he'd guessed, it was Kim and Fa'an. (A/N: It's Fa'an, not Va'an. I got the name from Princess Ai off my fav. charecter. The loner guitar player that randomly shows up and looks like a hippie. I love him)

Roxas couldn't help but stare as Fa'an raised his hand to her, like he was going to hit her, and she flinched, covering her face with her arms as a sheild.. It was the first time he'd ever seen her act even slightly scared of anything. Roxas wanted to say something. _Anything _to stop Fa'an but he lowered his hand on his own, and walked away. Just like that. That was it.

Kim stood up straight again, and screamed "I HATE YOU!" as loud as what seemed humanly possable. Roxas almost had to cover his ears. Fa'an simply ignored her, continueing his walk to wherever-it-was he was headed.

Roxas couldn't elp was wonder... Had this happened before. Even though he didn't strike this time, did he before. Will he later on? _How dare he even try. _

Roxas didn't even want to know what might happen next. So, pretending like he'd never seen a thing (or trying to) he hopped back on his skateboard and rode back the hotel where he'd get some shut-eye for once.

He needed it...

**000**

Wakka was just minding his own bussiness. He really was.

It's not his fault he just "Happened" to See Namine's dad and Brittany (A/N: No, I'm not changing the name) strolling around in town while he just "happened" to be up at 5 a.m. just to follow them there.

Yeah, he knew what he was doing. Yeah, he knew it was wrong. No, he didn't care. Why was he doing this, you ask? No clue.

_Spying._ That's what he was doing. _Spying._

But, what else was there to do at 7 a.m. in the morning?

Wakka was relativly bored, for the most part. Until they started makin' out.

Wakka balked.

Oh crap.

Oh god.

Holy heart failure.

This wasn't good.

Wakka imidiatly got up, turned the other way, and started walking back to the hotel feeling ill and scared all at the same time. He was ill because, well, 2 people he considered to be "old" he just caught making out. He was scared because Namine'd ether be too sad to even look at anyone of so mad that she'd kill the one who found out first. Him.

That'd teach HIM to spy again.

Now he had a problem; Tell Namine himself or let her find out on her own. Ether one was a death sentnce, for all of them.

Then he had this brilliant (or so he thought) idea. Tell RIKU instead. Then HE could tell Namine. Or, he could tell Roxas, who'd tell everyone else and it would get around to Namine some other way.

Or... He could just keep his mouth shut and stay out of it.

Too bad he had such a big mouth.

**000**

Roxas was nearly in his hotel room when he spotted Kim walking down the hallway towards him. He quickly jumped out of the way so she wouldn't see him, and watched her as she entered the room next to his that was supposedly empty. What was she doing going in there? Roxas crepped closer for a better look, and saw Kim and Fa'an inside the room from a crack in the door.

... What in the world?

Oh no, don't tell him... When Kim took the tickets, did she get one of the rooms too? Jeez, he was in for it. Now, if Namine knew, she's think he's purposly "sold" the tickets to Kim.

Wonderful... Could paradice get ANY worse?

This was supposed to be a vacation.

Roxas was walking away to his room next door, to fed up with himself to watch the two at the moments till he heard a scream and watched Fa'an exit the room and walk away. Roxas imidatly went to the room Kim was in to see what happened.

But when he peaked inside the room, she seemed fine... A little ticked, but that was normal. He couldn't help but fully open the door to her room and walk in slightly, leaning against the edge of the doorway and asked, "What was that all about?"

Kim looked up at him suddenly. First, she was shocked by his sudden appearence, then that expression quickly turned into a scowl when she realized who it was. "What do you want?"

"I already asked." Roxas refered to his previous question.

"It's none of your bussiness." Kim looked away from him and got up, grabbing a thing or two from the end table and walking for the exit, but Roxas stoppped her.

"That Fa'an kid-" Roxas couldn't finish.

"_Roxas_!" Kim gave him a look that made his blood run cold, but then her features wavered into an almost pained look. "Go away."

"Kim-" He was cut off again.

"I don't need sympathy," Kim started, "Especially from you. I can handly myself."

Roxas didn't say a word, instead watching her disapear down the hallway.

He sighed, made one last effort to call her name, but no one came.

"Roxas!" Riku was running down the hall towards him just then. "Have you seen Namine?"

"No." Roxas seemed more stubborn than usual.

"Hey, you okay?" Riku asked, looking around a moment for answers and got nothing.

"I'm fine." Roxas tried to act not so flustered (my fav. word XD) "What about Namine?"

"She ran off somewhere." Riku scratched the back of his head. "I can't find her."

"Did she run away from you?" Roxas snickered.

"No," Riku rolled his eyes, "She probably just goofing around with Kairi and Selphie."

"Did you check the beach?" Roxas leaned against the wall.

"No," Riku laughed, "Good idea."

Roxas sighed and closed his eyes. "No... problem..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Riku eyed him.

"I already said I was fine." Roxas opened is eyes and shot him an anoyed look.

"Whatever, man." Riku then ran off.

Roxas sighed and went off to find his new skateboard. Now, where'd he put that thing...

**000**

"I knew it..." Sora sighed. "Namine won't be happy..."

"I'm not telling her." Wakka waved his arms around.

"Why not?" Tidus and and Olette both asked at the same time. "You're the one that-"

"It's not MY fault I just happened to be there!" Wakka whined.

"Uh, yes it is." Pence set his camera on the table they were sitting out side that belonged to the hotel. "It's called spying."

"Who says we even need to tell Namine?" Sora set is elbow and the table and rested his head into it. "Can't she figure it out by herself?"

"Wouldn't that be a little-" Tidus was cut off. (A/N: Jeez, everyone's being cut off today :/)

"Harsh?" Sora asked. "No. If you hadn't been spying, she wouldn't found out on her own anyways."

Olette gave him a look. "But we're her friends. We're not supposed to keep secrets."

"Because we're her friends," Sora started, "we're not going to tell her. I'd rather her Father say something first."

"Whatever you say." Tidus rolled his eyes. "Master."

Sora grunted.

Wakka was having a party in the background.

Riku suddenly showed up and joined then, sitting in the chair next to his best friend. "Anyone seen Namine?"

"No." They all said at once.

Sora, who was next to him, sat up straight again and asked, "Why?"

"I can't find her." Riku told. "I saw her this morning before she left with kairi and then-- nothing."

Sora pondered a moment. "Oh, that's right... I haven't seen Kairi much today ether."

"Wanna help me look for them?" Riku asked.

"I've got nothing better to do." Sora got up and left the group with Riku.

Everyone else sighed, laughed, and then split up themselfs.

**000**

Namine and Kairi had wandered deep into town, looking for something entertaining to do. Namine was looking for her father at the same time, though.

"Isn't that cute?" Kairi squealed and pointed to the item of her desire inside a glass window just outside the store.

Namine laughed. "We've been out here for hours. Everyone's probably worried."

"They'll live." Kairi shrugged it off and entered a coffee shop with Namine, where they sat down at one of the tables just to talk.

Just then, Namine's Dad and Brittany walked into the store. (A/N: again, not changing the name.)

They were flirting. Yeah... Looked like and every day, love-struck couple. It pissed her off. Since when does her dad just pick up some random woman off the streets and not tell her a thing?

Namine sighed, trying to forget about it (It wasn't good to just ASSUME things) until her dad spotted her and greeted her. "Morning, sweetie!" Some of the people around them giggled.

Namine didn't look at him, and Kairi sighed. "Dad..." She barked.

Her dad rolled his eyes. "Fine, Namine. Cut the attitude."

"Attitude?" Namine looked up at him coldly. "I should have every right! You and-" She looked at Brittany, who frowned, and stopped herself, getting up with kairi and Leaving without saying another word, or giving her father a chance to say anything else.

She couldn't decide wether she was pissed of depressed.

Maybe a little of both.

**000**

Riku wrapped his arms around Namine's waist from behind, catching her off gaurd. "I looked _everywhere_ for you."

Namine relaxed when she realized it was just Riku, and she hugged his arms. "Sorry..."

"Something wrong?" He let go of her and she turned around to face him.

"No, I'm alright." Namine said.

"Namine, hurry up!" Kairi shouted from ahead. "We should get back to the hotel before it gets too dark out! It's like 9:30 PM!"

"We should go." Namine began walking at Riku's side back to the hotel.

"Everyone seems upset today." Riku sighed, grabbing her hand as they neared the building.

Namine smiled softly at him. "I'm not sad."

"Mm Hn." Riku grunted, not convinced. "Well see."

"Was that a dare?" Namine snickered.

"What?" He looked at her funny.

Namine laughed at him, and then sprinted back into the hotel with her toungue stuck out, pressing him on and he chased after her.

If at least for just a moment, he could make her forget about her problems.

Let tomorrow worry about itself.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **and so the drama begins... I must warn you, the next few chapters are going to get dramatic. The sad stuff's coming up.

BUT NO FEAR... Even though there won't be any fluff for a while to make room for drama, I have a "kick back and relax" chapter for this story coming up near the middle of Hawaii for you all.

**IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!! **_Here's what the good news is; _On April 21, it will be exactly 1 year since I started Another Story. The very beginning. So on April 21 is when I'll post a the long- fluffy chapter I was talking about just now. I'm pretty excited.

AWARDS

Top reviewer: **Jakall Alivair!!!!**

2nd place:**hanakitsunechan7!!!**

3rd place: **XFireFistAceX!!**

4rth place: **The darkside Incarnate!**

REPLIES

**kenshinroks2111... **_You'll see. Yeah, the weddings not gonna be so nice at first, but it gets _better_. I promise. You'll see. _

**The darkside Incarnate... **_Yay! I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!_

**Alpha Male... **_:3 Yay, I love questions. All of them will be answered in ch. 31! Riku only snapps at Kim a little, it's Fa'an that, well, you'll see. _

**hitman33333...** _Lolz, chest pains..._ _Yes, glad you caught that. I AM foreshadowing. It's 'bout to get dramatic. _

**XFireFistAceX... **_haha, Roxas will get his chance. -snickers- I hope he punches him too. Oh, wait! I'm the author!! -evil plan-_

**zealaya... **_;3 I'm updating as fast as I can. _

**Chibi-girl24...** _Hi Kim. HYUUU! Yes, I'll give you a sneak preview. _

**naminecrys4riku... **_Alas, the fluff'll have to wait for a while. I'm got drama to pack in the next few chapters. BUT there'll be loads of fluff when I'm finished (kinda finished) I promise!_

**XxRandomness-KuNoIcHi-KhFaN... **_It's okay :3. I'm gald you reviewed though! I hope you liked the chapter! Lolz, I enjoyed reading your review. _

**hanakitsunechan7... **_don't worry, I'll be fine. At least he doesn't know he's sick! Knowing that makes me feel better. -huffing- Fa'an is a meanie! haha, I'm angsty indeed. Marshmellow peeps? Lolz. Yes, I hope my dog doesn't go to doggie heaven (I think I spelt that wrong -gonk-) _

**Jakall Alivair... **_Gawd! I LOVEEEEEEE Youre long reviews! I'm always excited about hearing what you have to say. haha, PWNage. _

BYE

_The penut butter calls my name. _

I'm gonna sick angst bunnies on ya! -Cracker-Jacks000


	30. Some Vacation

**A/N:** haha. When I said there wasn't going to be any fluff for a while to make room for Drama, haha, don't worry. There'll be a little from time to time. Thins will still be wickedly dramatic for a while, I'll just add a line or two of fluff every once and a while to calm things down before they heat up again.

**CHAPTER 30**

_**"What?" He looked at her funny.**_

_**Namine laughed at him, and then sprinted back into the hotel with her toungue stuck out, pressing him on and he chased after her.**_

_**If at least for just a moment, he could make her forget about her problems.**_

_**Let tomorrow worry about itself.**_

The next day, around noon, Sora and Riku were walking around on the beach next to the ocean talking about this and that while everyone else was back at the hotel in the buffet eating lunch.

"Hey, did you ever find Namine yesterday?" Sora asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. You didn't hear us laughing when we came back in the hotel?" Riku made a face.

"I was probably sleeping. I crashed early." Sora informed.

"Oh." Riku nodded. "I see."

"Kairi seemed disturbed when she got back." Sora told. "She kept talking about Namine's dad. You think she knows?"

"If she knows, Namine's dad already told her, which I doubt because she hasn't said a word to me." Riku sighed. "Or cried, or whatever. I'm really not looking forward to it, you know? She already seems upset."

"Weren't we supposed to be on vacation?" Sora sighed along. "Relaxing, not drowning in drama."

"I'm afraid we haven't seen anything yet." Riku stopped, gazing out over the ocean. "I can already tell things are going to get a _whole_ lot worse."

"You're not the only one who thinks so?" Sora stood next to him, staring out over the horizon.

"I wish everyone would just chill out." Riku said. "And Namine's dad wasn't being so... secretive."

Sora patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Things will get better later, trust me."

"I sure hope so..." Riku took a deep breath. "Any more of this and I'll explode."

Sora laughed at his sarcasm. "Yeah, whatever man."

**000**

Riku walked into the hotel room, careful not to wake up Namine, who was still laying in the bed sleeping.

He smiled and watched her breath in and out of a moment, and then went to the bathroom to wash off his face. He was so hot... This place was too hot... He needed to cool off.

So, after soaking his face and then drying it off, he took off his shirt and threw it to the side, not minding at all that his chest was now bare. (A/N: -drools-) Not like Namine would care. Heak, she'd be all over him.

While he snickered to himself, he walked over to the bed side and kissed Namine on the forehead, leaning over her for a minute and then beginning his way to the dresser where he'd find a shirt. Well, that is, he would, If Namine hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the bed before he had the chance.

"Rik_uuu_." She sang, laying her head on his bare chest and, wrapping her arms around his middle so he wouldn't get away, giggling wildly. "And where do you think_ you're_ going?"

Riku laughed and brushed his fingers through her messy blonde hair.

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Aren't you going so say good morning to me?"

Riku kissed her back, on the lips. "Good morning." He said against her mouth, still chuckling.

Namine suddenly pulled away from him and sat upright on the bed, looking down at him as she played with his blueish/silverish locks. "We should go swimming with everyone today." She said.

"Everyone's going swimming?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," Namine laughed. "Kairi told me she's going to make everyone go down to the beach and relax, Y'know, because yesterday was kinda _weird_..."

Riku reached for her hand and grabbed it, lacing his fingers with hers. "I was going to ask..." He started. "What was up yesterday? You weren't acting yourself. You know, if there's anything wrong you can-"

"I'm fine." Namine cut him off, lying down next to him again and nuzzling her head into his next. "Really, I am."

Riku wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his head next to hers.

"What made you think I was sad?" Namine asked.

Riku opened his mouth to reply, but there was a load knocking on the door and the sound of Namine's dad's voice calling, "Namine!"

Namine got up and hopped off the bed, now standing on her feet. "Hold on." She called back, smiling at Riku and then letting go of his hand so she could go answer the door.

Riku's head fell back onto the pillow and he sighed.

Namine opened the door and walked out into the hallway, then shutting the door behind her. "Yes?" She asked her father, almost annoyed.

"I have to talk to you." He seemed uneasy.

Namine leaned against the back of the door and folded her arms. "I'm listening." She said.

"You know, how I said Brittany and I were just friends?" He questioned.

"Mm Hm." Namine hummed, the look on her face was of disgust.

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "_About that_."

Namine huffed, and was about to say something but her father hushed her.

"Before you say a thing!" Namine's father warned, "Know it was my own choice, and that-"

"You're making me sick..." Namine turned her head, refusing to look at him. "_Just looking at you_..."

"Namine!" He roared. Yeah, she already knew...

"Why are you trying to replace my mom?!" Namine yelled, "She wasn't good enough for you?!"

"That's not what-" He was cut off.

"I'm not going to ever get along with Brittany, if that's what your going to tell me to do. And I'm not going to like her ether. In fact, I hate her! I hate you too!"

He sighed. "Namine..."

Namine sounded pained at this point. "Why would you do this to me?" Her voice softened. "Date some random woman."

"She's not some random woman!" Her dad barked.

"Yeah, not yet..." Namine folded her arms, becoming stubborn yet again.

"Now, Namine, you listen to me!"

"Why should I?" Namine opened the door again and slammed it in his face after shouting, "I won't listen! You make me ill!"

Leaning against the door she's slammed in her own dad's face, she held her face up in her hands like she was about to start sobbing.

Riku walked up and wrapped his arms around her gently, trying to comfort her without saying a word. Yeah, he'd like to say she'd been a little harsh (he'd been listening), but he kept quiet. Namine was hurting right now, and all she needed at the moment was to be held.

He'd have to have a talk with her father later.

This _had_ to stop.

**000**

Namine's dad sighed, stared at the door for a minute or two, listening to Namine sob on the other side, and then left down the hallway. As he made his way to the elevator, where he's advance to the 3rd floor, where Brittany was waiting patiently, Roxas had been running down the hall way without paying attention and slammed right into Namine's father and the two were sent flying to the ground.

"Uh…" Roxas laughed, getting up and saying "Watch out?" a little too late.

Roxas helped Namine's father up and he sighed. "No problem." He said before taking off down the hall way and to the elevator again.

Roxas made a face and watched him leave for a moment before shacking head and continuing what he was doing before.

He reached the door to Riku and Namine's room and was about to open it when he head something on the other end. He held his ear up to the wood of the door and heard Namine's cries and frowned, remembering Namine's dad retreating just a second ago.

"Oh man…" He whispered to himself. That wasn't good. Not at all.

He scratched the idea of bothering Riku and Namine (best leave them alone) and instead walked a few doors down to Sora and Kairi's room and knocked on the door. Kairi answered.

"Hey, Roxas!" She smiled, waving.

"Is Sora there?" Roxas asked, leaning over past Kairi so he could see inside the room.

"No. He's at the beach with Hayner and Tidus." Kairi informed.

"Oh, Okay…" Roxas stopped peaking into the room and scratched the back of his head. "Thanks."

Kairi smiled again and waved goodbye to Roxas as he left again and out of the hotel, towards the beach. Kairi shut the door and walked back into her room where Olette and Selphie questioned her. "Who was it?" they asked.

"Roxas." Kairi sat next to them and informed.

"I see…" Olette leaned against the wall she was sitting next to and the three girls continued playing their game, which they'd just decided to start over. (playing with cards.)

Kairi re-dealed the cards out and the three girl talked about this and that while they played, until the time when Kairi had told everyone to meet her at the beach and they left for the ocean.

**000**

Everyone ended up showing up, to the groups' relief. They all just needed to kick back and enjoy themselves. That's what they were here for, was it not?

Kairi, Sora, Olette, Selphie, Roxas, and Hayner were all swimming and messing around in the ocean water while Pence took pictures for memories, and Tidus and Wakka played Blitz Ball. Riku and Namine were simply relaxing on the beach sand, talking about totally random things and flirting like they usually did.

Probably for the first time in the past few days, they were actually enjoying themselves and being care free.

But the time came when the sky began getting dark and they all stayed to watch part of the sun set while calming down and relaxing, and then they all left back to the hotel to eat dinner at the buffet…

"Pass the butter!" Selphie hollered over the table the whole group was sitting at. Hayner passed the butter to Wakka, who passed it to Tidus, who passed it to Pence, who gave it to Selphie.

Namine's father and Brittany were the only two that weren't present, to Riku's relief. Namine'd been happy the past few hours and he'd like it to stay that way before he finally got the chance to speak with her father privately.

Riku sighed and stuffed a fork-full of food into his mouth and chewed, swallowed, and laughed at the joke Sora had just told.

Namine looked at Riku and smiled when his gaze shifted to her and he smiled warmly back, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek before he continued eating.

Just then, Fa'an walked into the buffet room (where they were at on the north side, where all the tables were) and he walked passed the group as they got relatively silent and watched him walk over to the buffet for food. Roxas scowled under his breath and stuffed his mouth with food so he wouldn't be able to shout something insulting after him.

Then he thought; where was Kim? Didn't she usually follow him around (which he'd admit was weird for her)?

Namine rolled her eyes as she watched Roxas freeze in the middle of chewing. Whatever he was thinking, it was making the expression on his face look retarded.

The only two that weren't noticing the sudden silence was Tidus and Wakka, who'd been going on and on about their next game when they got back home since they'd arrived here. Pence snickered and took a picture.

Not long after, things were normal again and everyone but Roxas was having a good time laughing and talking again.

Roxas had excused himself from the table and said goodbye to the few people that questioned him, and left for the room next to his. Kim's room.

Why the hell did he care what happened to her? He didn't know. But he left to look for her anyways. Maybe it was just in his nature to be concerned like this.

Nah.

He was just nosy.

Typical Roxas.

When he got to his destination, to his own surprise, Kim's door was already open. He walked inside the room to see nobody was there. Well, this was weird.

He walked around the room, looking at random objects scattered all over the place. Most of the stuff he was looking at was pictures. Pictures of Kim and Fa'an, and occasionally her prep friends were included. All he really noticed in all the pictures was that Kim wasn't smiling, or, for that matter, showing any emotion at all.

Just then, he heard voices and footsteps coming from the hallway and he panicked. Where to hide, where to hide, where to hide?! He thought over and over again as he freaked out. Just in time, he'd jumped into a closet and shut the doors on himself, leaving just a little crack open so he could watch the people who'd walked in; Kim and Fa'an.

There she was…

Fa'an seemed angry at the moment, and Kim took a seat on the edge of the bed as Fa'an scowled deeply and shut the door behind them with a loud SLAM, making Roxas flinch.

"You know," he started, approaching Kim. "This was _ALL_ your fault."

"I didn't know that-" Kim was cut off.

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" Fa'an roared. Roxas covered his ears slightly and flinched again, hunching over a bit so he could see through the crack in the closet more at what Fa'an and Kim was doing.

"It's not like I meant to-" She was cut off again.

"Shut-up!" Fa'an raised his hand into the air threateningly. Roxas watched, wide eyed. He wouldn't… Would he?

Fa'an then sighed, and lowered his hand, turning around and making his way towards the bathroom.

Kim got up and followed him. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours…" Kim mumbled.

"Bitch!" Fa'an turned around sharply, and this time, he DID hit her. Hard. So hard, the sound of his hand against her face echoed all around the room like a tape recorder playing over and over and over again. The horrifying sound nearly made Roxas fall out of the closet and reveal himself. Fa'an raised his hand a second time, but changed his mind and Kim held the side of her face, speechlessly, giving him this look of sheer terror.

He'd decided he was satisfied. For the moment, at least.

Roxas had covered his mouth from shock, watching Kim slowly make her way back to the bed and crawling into it and trying to go to sleep. His eyes were fixed on the swollen side of her face where Fa'an had striked her.

Roxas had been frozen there the whole night, staring in disbelief until morning when they'd left and he could finally escape the room to his own room.

He was _defiantly_ going to lose sleep over this for weeks.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **_haha, _the word "buffet" is funny. Lol, sorry, high off of picxi sticks (sp?)

GAWD. I burned myselk with the iron -gonk-

Yep, there's me being a dumb ass for ya.

GUESS WHAT. I got to spell check most of the chapter. yeah...

HAHA. I'm talking to my uncle john on the phone right now. he is FU-NNYYYY!

AWARDS

top reviewer: **Volume-5!!!! **_-gawks at longness of your review- -dies- _

second place:**The Darkside Incarnate!!! **_Liciousness? Haha, I think I'm gonna use that now. _

3rd place:**hanakitsunechan7!! **_Lol, sugar high... _

4th place:**hitman33333! **_Lol, bunny... _

Skipping replies for now. Need to update -gonk- 

ME

_I got a myspace... And I hate that place... Please, tell me I've lost my mind. _

BYE

_My dogs feeling okay :D_

_I've gotta call John back now. _

Hi, I'm Kairi. Will you be my Sora? -cracks up- Lol -Cracker-Jacks000


	31. Agony

**A/N: **_WHOO!! 300+ reviews!!!! _I forgot about mentioning that last chapter. haha, sorry.

haha, I have to answer all the questions this chapter. Ah, since I'm on spring break, I'll have the chance to make this chapter pretty long too. Lol...

_Enjoy..._

_**P.s.** _:3 I wrote a soraxkairi poem.

And a songfic. It's called "Angel." You should read it.

**CHAPTER 31**

_(Enjoy the drama -dun- -dun- -dun- Ya'll will be like "NEXT CHAPTER NOW")_

_**He'd decided he was satisfied. For the moment, at least.**_

_**Roxas had covered his mouth from shock, watching Kim slowly make her way back to the bed and crawling into it and trying to go to sleep. His eyes were fixed on the swollen side of her face where Fa'an had striked her.**_

_**Roxas had been frozen there the whole night, staring in disbelief until morning when they'd left and he could finally escape the room to his own room.**_

_**He was defiantly going to lose sleep over this for weeks.**_

_2 AM_

_Roxas's room._

Roxas was tossing and turning ALL night. It was almost freaking IMPOSSABLE to get ANY sleep now.

What did he just see?

What was he going to do now?

Thoughts much like these rattled around inside his head, along with a lot more things that all pointed at the scene he'd just seen not too long ago. He felt he would go insane.

Should he say something or stay out of it?

Should he punch Fa'an or leave him alone.

Why did he even care about what happened to Kim? Wasn't she supposed to be his arch enemy? He didn't know _anything _anymore.

Should he stand up for her? Defend her? Or abandon her because she's a freaking bitch?

There were so many questions he constantly asked himself. Too many to count, that's for sure.

_Some people gotta learn the hardway_

_This was life. _

_Cruel as it may seem. _

_Not everything's beutiful. _

Roxas finally sat up, giving up on the thought of ever getting to sleep. EVER.

The next few days would get dicy...

**000**

Namine had stayed up all night. Yeah, all night long. The whole time she just sat up in a chair next to the bed Riku was sleeping in (in their hotel room) while she stared across the room at the clock. After dinner, that was all she wanted to do. For some reason, when she entered this room of hers again, she was sadened. Riku had tried to stay up with her, but ended up falling asleep in the bed next to her.

She appreciated his comfort, which he gave plenty of, but it wasn't enough. She felt she had to go through this alone. Why would she want to get Riku involved? The last thing he needed on vacation was drama, which he'd already had his fare share of. It wouldn't be fair to make him worry.

Glancing at Him for a minute, she sighed and ran her fingers through his silvery locks. He was always too sweet to her. She didn't deserve it (or so she thought).

_**Spend all your time waiting  
For that second chance  
For a break that would make it okay**_

Her hand pulled away and she continued gazing off into the emptyness of the room.

The bitter taste in her mouth was bothersome. Maybe she'd been a little harsh on her father...

Nah, he deserved it. How... How dare he do this to her without warning. She never beleived before that he'd actually lie to her. His _own_ daughter.

Still, she felt more upset at herself than at her father. For all the reasons she could manage to get together, she felt like the guilty one. She felt selfish, depressed, and alone.

_**There's always one reason  
To feel not good enough  
And it's hard at the end of the day**_

The clock now read 7:00 AM exactly. Her eyes were tired and worn out, but she still couldn't sleep. She just... Couldn't. That's how depressed up she was. Riku knew it too, which was terrable. he knew that she was sad, and that she felt this way.

That's exactly what she didn't want. She wished she could just hide at times like this.

She knew this was coming. She just wasn't prepared emotionally, she guessed. mistake number 1. And she's made Riku worry about her. Mistake number 2. Not only that, but she'd snapped at her father. That was lowering herself to "his standards." _Mistake number 3._

_**Let me be empty  
And weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight**_

She rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretching her legs and slouchingover in the chair, slightly stirring Riku.

She didn't know that he'd just began to awake.

Continueing to stare off into nothing, she rested her arms against her chest and kept that same, blank expression. She was really in deep... The worst pain is the emotional kind, for sure. She wished it'd just stop.

**_So tired of the straight line  
And everywhere you turn  
There's vultures and thieves at your back_**

Without Namine noticing, Riku slowly turned over to look at her, rubbing his eyes sheepishly as he stared at her.

She looked... Sad...

Deep in thought too, despite the blank look on her face. Had she been up all night?

_**And the storm keeps on twisting  
You keep on building the lie  
That you make up for all that you lack**_

He suddenly reached out and grabbed her around the waist sideways and dragged her onto the bed next to him. "Riku- wha?" Was all Namine had time to spit out before Riku held onto her tightly and shushed her.

"Sleep." He hummed in her ear, making sure his grip was tight enough so she wouldn't get away.

_**In the arms of an angel  
Fly away from here**_

Shocked by the sudden embrace, she froze for a minute or two while Riku nuzzed his face against her neck before seddeling and he closed his eyes again, breathing in and out calmly, taking in Namine's sweet sent.

"Riku?" She whispered.

"Shh." He hushed, "relax for at least 5 minutes, okay? I want to see you smile."

Namine sighed and tried to smile a bit, and then cuddled against him, laying against his chest while her head rested just under his chin.

_**From this dark cold hotel room  
And the endlessness that you fear  
You are pulled from the wreckage  
Of your silent reverie**_

Namine found it hard to keep her eyes from wattering. Riku was just too... forgiving.

She silently cried against him, into his shirt as he held her tighter and warmer.

Namine sniffed, "I don't want you to-"

"Shh." He hushed again, rubbing her back to comfort her a little.

_**You're in the arms of the angel  
May you find some comfort there**_

"I've got you Namine," Riku rested his head next to hers. "It's okay."

Namine finally relaxed and sighed gratefully into his chest. There was a short 'I love you' silence before she drifted off into sleep in his arms.

Riku always had a way of calming her.

_(A/N: I love that song. Cute little scene for ya'll)_

**000**

Olette sat on the balcony from the second floor in the hotel, letting her feet hang off the edge. She was smiling contently, not letting too much of the drama from yesterday get to her. She was determined to enjoy this. She loved staring out into the sun rise from where she was in the hotel every morning. It was peaceful.

"Olette." A voice from behind her called. It was her you-know-what. (A/N: XD LOVAH)

"I'm out here, Hayner!" olette waved as Hayner walked up and took a seat next to her.

"What's up?" He asked. "You've seemed distant lately."

"I'm fine." Olette huffed.

Hayner smirked at her and leaned back a little. "What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"I said i'm FINE!" Olette huffed again, and then sighed. "Just trying to escape drama."

"Oh, so that's it." hayner pulled out two ice cream stickes, and handed her one. "Just should have said so."

"I'm trying not to think about it." olette hugged her knees to her chest. "I mean... Poor Namine..."

Hayner patted her on the back and licked his ice cream. "She'll be fine."

"How can you say that?" olette looked at him and ignored her ice cream . "She's miserable!"

"I thought you said you were trying not to think about it." He laughed.

"Jeez, Hayner." Olette rolled her eyes. "You just ruined the sun rise for me..."

"I'm sorry." Hayner sighed. "I was just joking around."

Olette rested her head on his shoulder. "Dork." She laughed at him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Nerd." He laughed back.

"Nerd?" Olette smirked. "I'm not nerd."

"Well, I'm no dork then." Hayner smirked back.

"Fine. You win then." Olette sighed playfully and nudged him.

He nudged her back.

"Hayner?" Olette questioned after a while, looking up at him.

"Hm?" Hayner looked at her, but as soon as he turned his head to face her her lips were suddenly on his.

"Olette...?" Hayner asked when she pulled away, a confused expression on his face.

She smiled at him. "You big dork." She commented.

He kissed her back. "You big nerd."

**000**

Sora, Wakka, And Tidus had all decided to meet in the morning and play blitz ball while they talked a few things over. They needed to get things straight, so none of them were confused.

"Roxas said namine was cryin' yesterday, ya?" Wakka told. "Wonder what's wrong with 'er."

"Have you been ignoring the way her and her father have been treating each other THE WHOLE TIME?" Sora gave him a look that read 'You're an idiot' and kicked the bass to Tidus, who missed and had to go run after the ball.

"NO." Wakka rolled his eyes. "Just sayin', ya?"

"God, Sora." Tidus came back with the blitz ball, panting. "You kick HARD."

Sora smirked triumphantly. "Thanks!"

"That _wasn't_ a complement." Tidus glared.

Sora rolled his eyes and went on playing the game.

"Oh, and what's with Kim here, ya?" Wakka questioned. "Namine's probably pissed about that too."

"I think she'll live." Tidus was in a bad mood. he wasn't a moring person.

Sora punched himplayfully. "Any emotion in that body of yours?" She asked, laughing.

Tidus only glared and threw the ball at him. Sora kicked the ball to Wakka who kicked it back to tidus.

"Kim hasn't been as anoying lately," Wakka said, "I think it's Fa'an, ya?"

"Quit pointing out the obvious!" Tidus huffed. "We all know that stuff!"

"Well I'm so_rry_!" Wakka fussed.

"You guys." Sora sighed, and then laughed when they payed no attention to him and kept on rambling. "YOU GUYS."

_"What!?"_ They both turned to him coldly and shot death glares.

Sora takled them both. "You both need to shut-up." He chuckled.

**000**

Selphie was in the buffet at the time that she ran into Riku around 8:30 AM.

"Hey Riku." Selphie greeted. "What's up?"

Riku was packing a bunch of breakfast food onto a single plate. "Getting breakfast for Namine and I."

"Oh." Selphie sqeuled. "You and Namine are TOO CUTE!"

Riku laughed. "Whatever you say, Selphie." He continued packing on the food. Selphie almost had to race him to the food that was left.

"Hey, Is Namine alright?" Selphie asked. "Roxas told me she was crying."

"Roxas says a lot of things." Riku rolled his eyes. What a nosy little...

"Aw, come on! I wanna know!" Selphie fussed.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her. "She'll be fine. You can talk to her if you want, I'm going back to our room now."

"No, that's okay." Selphie giggled. "I've leave you two_ alone_..."

Riku laughed at her. "Whatever, Selphie."

**000**

Pence and Roxas had wandered off around the town for a while around noon, going in and out of stores, browsing, and taking random pictures of the Hawaiian people.

"This place never gets boring." Roxas sighed peacfully. "Never."

"Tell me about it." Pence tok another picture. "It's so alive here. Everythingon Destiny Islands can get to quiet."

"See that store over there?" Roxas pointed. "They gave me a skateboard for free."

"One track mine, huh Roxas?" Pence laughed.

Roxas smirked. "Yeah, whatever man."

Pence laughed more and took a picture of him. "Smile Roxas!" The flash went off and Roxas squinted.

"Don't do that." He warned.

Pence continued to laugh.

**000**

Dinner time rolled around again and the whole group (besided namine's dad and brittany) were at their usual table passing around food and eating. Riku was somewhat dissapointed that Namine'd dad didn't show up. He really wanted to ask if they could talk. Really did. But... Namine seemed happy at the moment. That made him feel a little better. Seeing her smile made him smile.

"I want the last one!" Kairi tried to take the desired food from Selphie.

Selphie stuck he tongue out. "I grabbed it first!"

Kairi growled.

"Knock it off." Sora grabbed kairi's shoulder and laughed at her. "Everyone's all whiny today."

"I'm not whining." Kairi folded her arms and huffed.

"Sure, Kairi." Sora laughed some more.

Riku was looking around the diningroom nerviously the whole time they were in there for dinner. He hoped Namine's dad would just pop out of no where so he could catch him.

But no such luck. This means he's have to find Namine's dad himself. And he's have to give Namine an excuse to leave for a while without her.

Everyone was cleaning up now, grabbing their things and cleaning up their mess. Well, for the most part. The waiters got the rest.

Namine and him made it half way down the hall way to their room before Riku stopped their walk back. "I gotta go." He said.

"What? Why?" Namine seemed upset.

"Um..." Riku scratched the back of his head. "Just, let me leave for a little bit, okay? I've got something to take care of."

"Like what?" Namine eyed him.

"Namine..." Riku sighed.

"Okay, fine." She gave in, "But be back soon, okay? I doubt there's anything good on TV."

Riku laughed.

"Yeah, I'll be back soon." He grabbed her and kissed her quickly and lightly on the lips before he said "goodbye." and then he took off down the hallway. Namine sighed and watched him leave.

Riku took the elivator (ignoring the stairs so he's make it there quicker) to the floor That NAmine's dad's hotel room was on. Once he found it, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

Brittany opened the door. "Yes?" She asked, smiling.

"Is Namine's dad there?" Riku asked.

The woman nodded and let him in, leading him to where Namine's dad was.

"Hey," Riku said, getting his attention.

"Hello." Namine's dad sighed. "It's about namine, right? Look, I'm sorry but-" he was cutt off.

"I need to tal;k to you alone." Riku eyed Brittany and she left politely, leaving down to the buffet to eat something.

Riku took a seat next to Namine's father. "This has gotta stop." Riku said right away, before he could say anything.

Namine's dad sighed.

"She's so upset, I was only able to get her to sleep for a few hours this morning and It's getting hard to make her smile. She's_ really_ not feeling well."

Her father sighed again.

"You've gotta come up with something." Riku told. "Namine's supposed to be enjoying herself here. Not to be harsh, but this kind of _is_ your fault."

He sighed. "I know... But I can't do anything about it. Namine just... Like this. I really wish she'd just accept Brittany. She's going to have to sooner or later."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Brittany'll be around for a long, long, long time." Namine's father told, giving him an expression that made him have to think for a moment.

"How can you be so sure? Y'knnow... Namine's really upset about this. Maybe you should make Brittany talk to her."

"That would only create chaos. Namine told me she didn't want anything to do with Brittany."

"Yeah, I know. I heard." Riku sighed. "I hate seeing her like this. It's tearing me up."

"She'll get used to Brittany." Namine's father seemed confident. Oh, she will..."

"What makes you so sure?" Riku asked.

"Well, I've known Brittany for a while now. She's parshally the reason I was gone so much."

"That really upset Namine, Y'know?"

"Wait, let me finish. When I asked Brittany to come on this Vacation with me, I also asked her something esle."

"I'm listening." Riku's suspisions were proving true once again.

"Well, on Christmas..."

"Mn Hm..."

"Brittany and I are----"

(A/N: You'll have to wait till the next chapter to see what he says -evil laugh-)

**000**

Kim was with Fa'an, hanging out at the beach next to a few large boulders and the ocean.

Kim was sitting quietly on one of the boulders while Fa'an stood up next to her, his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the ocean.

Things were quiet for a good deal of time before Fa'an finally spoke.

"That could've gone smoother. You know." He said.

"What?" Kim questioned.

"Yesterday." He told.

"Oh..." She sighed, not wanting to think about it. That wasn't the first time that'd happened. She held the side of her face as if it still hurt.

"You shouldn't have back talked." Fa'an smirked. "You belong to _me_. So obey. Or I'll break up with you."

"Whatever Fa'an." Kim scowled. "Haven't we already talked about this?"

"You need to be reminded." Fa'an scowled back.

"Can't you just leave me be for a few freaking hours? I don't need you on my ass about everything!" Kim was starting to get loud.

Meanwhile... Roxas was watching from the bushes. Yes, after Pence left, he'd been spying on the two. watching the,. Even taking _notes._ Whatever was making him go so insane over an issue that wasnn't his, it would kill him someday.

He's been obsessed. Couldn't eat or sleep and could hardly think striaght. He needed to make sure that what happened the previous night wouldn't ever happen again while he was around. Even if it was Kim it was happening to, it was still wrong and harsh.

And he wasn't going to stand for it.

_Over his dead freaking body he'd let it happen again._

Yeah, it was obvious any normal person would be upset about this, but Roxas, oddly, cared a little too much. He wish he knew. Maybe is was because he had feelings for--... BAH! As if.

Still, he wished he could figure out why he cared so much about what happened to Kim. It frustraited him that he didn't know.

Well, he'd find out some way or another. But later... He had spying to do right now...

Kim and Fa'an continued argueing.

"I'm not every going to leave you alone!! You're my bitch now, deal with it." Fa'an said harshly, not even bothering to look at her.

Kim slipped down from the rock she was perched on. "Just because I'm dating you doesn't make me _your bitch_!" She growled at him. "I belong to me."

"_NO_." Fa'an pushed her coldly into the boulder she was just on and pinned her against it. "You Belong to me. I _own_ you."

"Fa'an!" Kim tried to yell at him, but the words didn't come as loud as she'd like. He had her backed up in a corner, _again._

"Give me one reason not to totally beat the crap out of you right now, Kim." Fa'an whispered devilishly, sending a chill up her spine.

Roxas's eyes were widening.

"Don't threaten me." Kim scowled. "If you're going to do it, just do it."

Roxas clenched his hands into fists. He was so worked up, he was about to jump out of the bush and punch Fa'an right then and there.

"Oh, mss. sassy mouth?" Fa'an snickered, still pinning her to the rock.

"Fa'an, You're a dick!" Kim literally screamed in his ears. Unfortunatly, now his mood changed from toyish to pissed.

"You're going to pay now." Fa'an gave her this look.

Roxas covered his mouth with both hands so nothing would slip out and reveal his posistion. Ah, as if that really mattered anymore.

"Fucking bitch!" Fa'an let go of his grip of her and gave her a huge smack across the face, and then punched her in the eye. Kim hunched over, whimpering in pain and fear. She'd gone and done it again. She just had to push him. The surrering was her fault.

Fa'an wasn't through yet though, unfortunatly.

He grabbed her hair from the root and smashed her head against the back of the boulder and then used it to throw her into the sand after and she souted.

Kim rolled over in pain and held her side on the verge of crying out after he'd kicked her twice while she was down. the dirty fighter.

Kim had gotten back on her knees by herself before Fa'an used her hair to pull her back to her feet and above the ground. It felt like her hair was going to rip from their roots.

He hit her, again and again and again _and again. _

When Kim had actually started crying and trying to break free (Kim never crys for anyone) from sheer agony Roxas couldn't take it anymore.

He'd jumped out of the bushed from behind and pulled on fa'an's coloar, making him drop kim (and she fell to the ground wrapping her arms around her middle sobbing uncontrolably) and he gave him one well-earned, shockingly painful punch in the face that even made himself flinch after he'd done it.

"You leave her alone!!!" Roxas shouted, more furious than he'd ever been in his life, throwing Fa'an off to the side as far away from Kim as possable.

Fa'an had rolled over in the sand a few times after being hurrled to the side before he stood up again weakly, grabbong the side of his face. "You little fucker." He snarled.

Roxas held up one fist and stood in front of Kim, as if to make himself a human sheild from Fa'an, and shot him a serious 'you-need-to-do-fall-in-a-ditch-and-die' look that made his blood freeze. (A/N: imagine him REALLY mad.)

"Grr." Fa'an growled. "I'm going to beat the hell out of you."

"Bring it." Roxas hissed.

"And when I _finish you off_, she's next." Fa'an got in a battle position.

"Go ahead and try." Roxas barked, and so it began.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** CLIFF HANGER! Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha! -prepares for update demands-

Oh, I've been meaning to inform everyone. Everyone is actually in the eleventh grade (meaning yuffie, leon, cloud, and aerith are all in the 12th) sorry for the confusion.

AWARDS

Top reviewer: **Volume-5!!!! **_-Gawks at longness- OMFG YOU'RE SO AWSOME!_

2nd place:**XFireFistAceX!!!** _You rock my socks off! Thanks for the review! Update soon!_

3rd place:**Naminecrys forRiku!! **_The link to my myspace is on my profile. ;D add me. _

4th place:**hanakitsunechan7! **_Lol. Celebritay ramen!!!! )Ramen is my favorite food!)_

**IMPORTANT**

_It's contest time again!!! YAY! (last contest was in chapter 2 hee hee) _

_This time it's MUCH bigger. _

_**Here's what it is exactly:** Over the next three chapters (till chapter 34 when I answer more questions) I'm going to see JUST how much you people can write on your reviews. At the end of chapter 34, the person with the most words with the three reviews they post from now until then combined will win. So, lets say your first review is 50 words long, your next is 300, and the one after that is 150. That's a totall of 500 words. The reviewer with the most words, again, wins. _

_**Here's what you'll win:** A Oneshot by me. That's right, you tell me the plot and some details of what you want me to write for a KINGDOM HEARTS oneshot, and I'll write it for you. Cool, huh? _

_**DON'T FORGET: **At the end of the end of your review, please write "I'm partisapating in the contest" so I know who to count. If you're not, don't say anything about this contest. Okay? Okay. _

_This is also kinda a test to see who actually reads the authors notes. hee hee. _

_**Also: **I'll post on my profile after every chapter who's in the lead for the contest and who's 2nd, 3rd, ext. YAY!_

_**What else you can now check on my profile: **hehe, now when you go to my profile, you can see how close I am to updating. _

MY REASON FOR THIS ISSUE (Kim and Fa'an)

You know that feeling when You're stying to convince yourself everything's okay and the more you think it the more you realize it's not okay?

_I'm trying to make a point. _A big one. Violence towards woman and girls and 3-year-old infants NEEDS to stop. It's just... Not fair. Trust me, I should know. Someone that most of you would say is your "hero" wasn't exactly very appreciative of me when i was a little girl. And I've got scares I can never get rid of because of him, and a haunting past. Let's just say, Kim's got it easy with Fa'an.

Please, rais your voices against this violence.

Don't worry, I'm okay now. All's over.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q: **Is Roxas the one that causes the trouble for kim?** A: _Nope. _

Q: **Wheres Faan's personality(no offence but so far he has been a little light in the head)?**A: _Fa'an's personality is pure Jerk. haha, I'm sure you've seen it by now._

Q: **When is the Sora and Kairi thing comming?**A: _Later. A bit later, actually. You'll see. _

Q: **Am I the only one that askes questions?**A:_ haha, good one. -points at all the other questions-_

Q: **Are you working on something for Wakka?**A: _Maybe. I really don't know yet. _

Q: **So are Kim and Roxas gonna be just friends or what? **A: _Lol. Just friends... That's funny. They're not going to be just friends, trust me on that one. _

Q: **Why did he do that to Kim?**A: _Fa'an? I'm making a point, that's why. You'll see. _

Q: **He doesn't like her anymore, does he? Did he ever like her at all?**A: _Kinda. Not in a passionate way, a sexual way. Kim (in the story) is extremly attractive. _

Q: **what was with kim?? and roxas??**A: _They can't decide whether they want to shoot each other os ravish each other. _

Q: **I seem's like Fa'an is starting to order Kim around. Hmm, foreshadowing? **A: _You bet. _

Q: **will Brittany, have like a daughter Namine will have to deal with?**A: _Nope. _

Q: **will Kyle get or does he have a girl?**A: _He has an on-off girlfriend. _

Q: **will Reno and Axel get girls?**A: _haha. Maybe. _

Q: **what's Nammah gonna be like?**A: _Still working on her, She'll be quite the charecter, though. _

Q: **is the mabey towards Vincent leaning more toward a yes or a no?**A: _Leaning toward a no. I really don't know much about him. _

Q: **will there be a big fluffy Christmas scene that involves Kim? **A:_ Hey, that's a good idea... I'll think about it._

Q:**whats with Fa'an and Kim?**A:_ A very bad relationship. _

Q:**so the wedding will get better. good. is it between brittany (shudder) and namine's dad?**A: _I can't reveal that yet. _

Q:**will Namine snap at Brittany?**A:_Maybe. It would be dramatic, wouldn't it? -ponders- _

Q:**will Namine find out Kim stole the tickets?**A: _Yep. _

Q:**will they get back to Destiny Islands and find out Axel burnt down Roxas's house or something?**A: _-sweat drop- maybe. I'll think of something. _

Q:**will Namine's dad ever find out Riku and Namine slept together?**A: _Yes He will. _

Q:**will Kyle show up soon?**A: _Not soon, but he'll show up later. _

Q:**Why is Nami being so rude to her dad and Brittany?**A: _Because she doesn't want another mom. _

Q:**Where IS Roxas' skaetboard?**A: _I dunno -shruggs- where he left it?_

Q:**Is Namine gonna think her dad is trying to replace her mom with Brittany?**A: _Yes. _

Q:**Where ARE Namine' brother and Riku's brother?**A: _Namine's brother is (phrase taken out, find out later) and Riku's brother is still out partying. _

Q:**Will Roxas help Kim soon?**A:_He'll give Fa'an a good beating, I'll garentie you that. _

Q:**what's Namine's dad's name?**A: _OMG. I haven't thought of that yet. And suggestions?_

Q: **when will Brittany show up again? **A: _Soon. _

Q:**would you like some celebratory ramen? **A: _Uh... Sure. _

Q: **Is randomest a word? **A: _Lol. _

Q:**is brittney some evil little witch with a b who ends up being cruel to namine? **A: _Nope. She's inoccent. _

Q: **why is fa'an doing this!!?** A: _he's a jerk. _

Q: **What's your goal for reviews? **A: _450. _

Q:**Can I have a spoiler? **A: _Um... I'll say something totally way off in the furture (after the bahamas) Riku might (blank here because I can't tell you) To Namine. It'll be cute. _

Q: **Riku and namine slept together, right? Is Namine pregnate(sp)? **A: _yes, they slept together.__haha no. She will be someday though :3 like in forever. _

Q: **Will You answer all my 'hard hitting' questions? XD **A: _Uh, dun. Lol, I'm supposed to answer whatever you say. _

BUH-BYE

_Time to leave. I'm on MY vacation right now. _

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change - Cracker-Jacks000


	32. Gone

**A/N: **_OH-EM-GEE-DOUBLE-YOU-TEE-EF!!!! _Over 330 reviews? -hugs everyone- YOU ALL ROCK!!

Just so you guys are prepared, I have a suprise coming up for everyone soon. It'll be awesome!

Enjoy chapter 32 and remember the competition is still in place!!!! (check profile to see who's in the lead)

**CHAPTER 32**

_**"Grr." Fa'an growled. "I'm going to beat the hell out of you."**_

_**"Bring it." Roxas hissed.**_

_**"And when I finish you off, she's next." Fa'an got in a battle position.**_

_**"Go ahead and try." Roxas barked, and so it began**_

"Okay wait wait wait WAIT." Riku nearly had a heart attack when Namine's dad had told him the news. Oh. my. god. he was going to fall over and die right there. "What did you just say?" He gave Namine's dad a look of insane terror.

"Brittany and I are getting married." He said a second time.

"O-O-On C-Ch-Christmas?" Riku was so shocked he was stuttering.

"Uh-huh." He nodded his head, as though nothing was wrong.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Riku shouted, but still seemed scared out of his mind. Oooooh, namine wouldn't be happy. Lucky, lucky, him. He was the one that got to tell her.

"Nothing wrong." Namine's father told. "It's supposed to be romantic. Y'know, Christmas day... Good sprit..."

"I don't mean it like _that!" _Riku balked. "How could you not tell Namine? Were you just planning on _waiting_ till Christmas to tell her?"

"Uh... That's the thing... I can't tell her. The words, they... They just won't come. I don't want to break her heart like that." He said, a bit saddened all of a sudden.

"You're breaking her heart right now!" Riku gave him this serious look... One that said "You'd better fix it. It's all on you."

He sighed. "I wish she'd just listen..."

Riku stood up and made his way for the door. "Well, you'd better do something." he looekd at Namine's father one more time. "Or you'll regret it. Namine's more upset than you think."

Her father swallowed. She wouldn't... He gave Riku a look.

"No, not _that _depressed." Riku resisted the urge to smack him. "Just... _Upset."_

"I see." He sighed. "brittany and I will come up with something, okay?"

"No, I want _you_ to come up with something, not _brittany_. This is your fault, don't drag her into this." Riku was even more serious with Namine's father than ever.

He swallowed again, nooded blankly, and Riku left the room.

Brittany came back into the room after watching Riku leave. "What was that about, James?" She asked. (A/N: XD yes, james.)

"Oh, Just Namine." Brittany sat down next to him as he axplained.

"Oh, is she okay?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, she'll be fine." James sighed again.

"I'm worried about her," Brittany said, "I wish she's accept me.."

"Give her time... She'll evantually come around." James patted her shoudler and smiled.

_She'd come around..._

He hoped what he's said was true.

Namine was always stubborn.

**000**

Riku'd been gone a little longer than he'd said he would be, no Namine'd left a note in the room and left for a bit.

Namine lay just outside the hotel in the lush grass next to the beach, resting on a hammok while she read a book Riku had bought her so she could take her mind off things. Books were the perfect escape...

She was totally hooked on the book, she didn't pay any attention to anything else. The book Riku'd bought her was _Pride & Prejustice. _The book was truely engaging. Suddenly she was someone different, with different problems and a different lifestyle. She could get used to reading like this.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the hotel and looked up for a moment to see Riku headed her way. She smiled, waved, and continued reading the last sentence of the chapter before she closed the book and looked up at him.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing." Riku lied, sitting on the other end of the hammok next to her legs.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, noticing the hint of worry in his eyes.

"Nothing." Riku repeated the word.

Namine frowned. "Oh..."

Riku Smiled at her and stretched out onto the hammok next to her, wrapping one of his arms around her waist as he faced her. "Smile." He whispered.

"You're the one that needs to smile." She nuzzled her face into his neck.

"Recovered already?" Riku snickered.

"No, but I'll live. I'm more concered about you."

"But _I'm_ more concerned about you."

"Oh, Riku..." Namine relaxed against him "I love-"

"RIKUUUUUUU!" Namine was interupted.

Riku let go of her for a second and sat up straight, lettign his feet hang over the side of the hammok. "What?"

"P-phone call..." Hayner hunched over, out of breath. "They said it was important."

Just as Riku got up, Namine leaned over and grabbed Riku's wrist. "I wanna come." She said.

Riku smiled at her warmly. "Weren't yoy reading a book?"

Namine let go of his arm and nodded. "I guess..."

"I'll be back later!" He waved and then ran off.

Namine laid back down and sighed, gazing up at the sky.

"Uh... sorry?" Hayner said, knowing he'd interupted whatever they'd been doing.

Namine flicked her wrist. "Don't say that. It's not your fault."

Hayner walked over to her. "What book?" He asked.

"Pride and Prejutice." Namine answered.

"Uh... Whatever." Hayner just wasn't interested and walked away. "I'm going to go find Roxas."

"You do that then." Namine opened her book again and continued reading.

**000**

"I'm going to_ kill_ you." Fa'an snarled.

"I'd like to see you try." Roxas snarled back, taking the serious look on Fa'an's face seriously. Fa'an wasn't playing around. Roxas knew it, too.

"Roxas..." Kim whispered, tugging at the bottom of his jeans. "Don't do this?"

Roxas looked behind himself and at her, gave her a thumbs up, and smiled real wide. "I'll be fine." He said.

"No, it's not that it's... Roxas, look out!" Kim pointed, but it was too late.

Just as Roxas had turned around, Fa'an had already thrown his fist at him and nailed him, right in the eye.

"Ah!" Roxas hunched over and held his eye in pain. "God!"

Fa'an then kicked him while he was hunched over, in the stomach and sent Roxas back the other way and onto his ass farther away from Kim when he kicked him again, with even more force.

Roxas held his stomach this time, in even more pain, and when Kim tried to crawl over to Roxas Fa'an kicked her too.

"H-hey!" Roxas got to his feet again. "You leave here alone!"

Fa'an did nothing of the sort. He'd picked Kim up by her wrist and held her up in the air as she pounded away at his arms. "Let me go!" she screamed.

Fa'an balled his hand into a fist and threatened to hit her, smirking at Roxas as if to say 'one more step and she'll get it.'

"P-put her down!" Roxas got back into a battle pose and shouted.

Fa'an walked over to the steep cliff that was over as hundred feet over the water, overlooking the ocean. Roxas never thought such a scene would be so horrifying.

"Wait, no!" Roxas held out his hand as Fa'an moved the grip of his hand to around her neck and held her over the cliff, that smirk still plastered on his face.

"Oh, really?" Fa'an looked at Kim, who had her hands holding onto his arms for dear life. If she fell, she'd die without a doubt.

"Just leave her out of it!!!" Roxas felt like an idiot right about now. He just _HAD_ to interfere. "This is between _you_ and _me_!"

"Just shut-up Fa'an!" Kim was able to blurt out.

Fa'an glared at her. "I can let go any time." Fa'an thretend, loosening his grip and Kim screamed, holding on higher.

"Leave her out of this!"Roxas repeated.

"I'm not going to!" Fa'an yelled right back, obviously going to play dirty.

Roxas was stuck.

Oh, what to do, what to do, what to do...

He needed to think, and fast... Real fast...

He looked at Kim, then Fa'an, then Kim, then Fa'an, then Kim again, who glared at him as if to say 'do something, idiot!'

Roxas sighed miserably and took a step back. "I give in... Just let her go..."

Fa'an grinned. "So glad to see you think my way."

**000**

"Oh man..." Riku held his forehead as he was about to fall over on the table, the phone held up to his ear.

_"Dude, I need you here. I've got no one else." _The voice on the other side of the phone spoke.

"But I have to stay here. Namine's not all that... Well, she's upset too." Riku told.

_"You're picking some chick over me?!"_

"She's not just "some chick." Riku sighed miserably. More bad news? "Why don't you just come here?"

_"Where the hell are you?"_

"In Hawaii."

_"HAWAII?! How can you be there while this is happening to me!!!??? You selfish little-"_

"Just buy a freaking ticket and come over. I'm sure namine won't care, and Roxas doesn't have a roommate."

_"You sure?"_

"Just do it, you can't be there by yourself. You can give me the full story when you get here."

"_Deal."_

"Deal."

_"I'll be there tomorrow."_

"Just hurry."

_"Got 'Cha"_

Riku theb hung up and sighed. Now his brither had problems too... Kyle'd better be ready for the drama they already had over here.

**000**

Kim glared at Roxas, nearly disgusted. Here she was, about to be thrown off a cliff, and he was giving up. he was just the person she expected him to be.

Roxas looked at his feet, disapionted at himself. But, what else could he do?

Just then, a voice called out "What do you think you're doing!?" And he imidatly looked up in shock.

"Hayner?" Roxas cocked an eyebrow.

Roxas watched in shock as Hayner caught Fa'an off gaurd and punched him in the face, sending him off to the side and his hand let go of it's grip around Kim's neck. She screamed as she started to fall.

"K-Kim!" Roxas screamed, triping over his own feet and holding out his hand.

But Hayner'd caught her, _Just _in time.

"You idiot!!!" Roxas scolded Hayner.

Hayner helped Kim over the cliff and back onto sold ground. She held her chest and breathed heavily from the terror of almost falling to her death.

"What?" Hayner gave him a face.

"She almost..." Roxas didn't even want to think about it, so he just repeated himself. "You IDIOT!"

"Well I'm so_rrryyyyyyy--!!_" Fa'an had suddenly gotten up and punched Hayner in the back of the head. Hayner was sent hurling over the side of the cliff but he grabbed the end just before he did and just hung there as Fa'an smirked, looked down on him with hate in his eyes.

Just before Fa'an had attepted to push Hayner totally off the cliff, Roxas had hurled himself at Fa'an and pinned him to the ground. "Don't you _DARE_!" Roxas hissed.

Hayner had pulled himself back over the edge of the cliff and watched as Roxas threw punch after punch at Fa'an face while he had him pinned down.

_Go Roxas! _Hayner cheered mentally.

Fa'an had eventually gained enough strenght to push Roxas off of him and pin him down instead.

"You gonna pay for messing with me!" Fa'an barked.

Hayner got up and kicked Fa'an off of Roxas, and attacked him, throwing punches at him as fast as he could, not even paying attention to where they landed.

"Hayner!" Roxas whinned. "Let me handle this!"

"I can't help?" Hayner looked back at Him as soon as Fa'an's back hit the ground again.

"_No._" Roxas looked him at him seriously (HA! Roxas... serious... Yeah right.). "Just get Kim outa here."

Hayner imidatly left with Kim, although she protested and kicked and whined.

Roxas watched them leave for a second, notbothering to pay any attention to Fa'an, which was a bad idea. As soon as he looked back Fa'an was...

_Gone. _

"Wh-what!?" Roxas grabbed his head, panicing.

He rushed over to the cliff and looked over the edge, but no Fa'an... he wasn't behind the boulders or anywhere on the beach ether. He was just... gone.

He mentally slapped himself.

Did this mean he... _Lost?_

Where did Fa'an go...?

Roxas sighed and got up, heading back over to the hotel. Man... At least he didn't have to deal with him again for a while. he had a strong, gut feeling he wouldn't be seeing Fa'an around for a while.

But... You never know.

**000**

"I'm bored..." Selphie sighed.

kairi ignored her.

"I'm bored." Selphie repeated.

"Kairi started to get irritated.

"I'm soooo BORED!" Selphie said rather obnoxiously.

"GOD!!!" Kairi got up, pounding the table they were sitting at outside. "If you're so bored, go make out with that tree! At least it'll make me laugh!" She pointed to a giant oak tree.

Selphie gave her a funny face.

"I'm bored." Another voice said from behind her, walking up to them.

"If you're so bored..." Kairi stopped herself when she saw it was Olette.

"Oh, hey Olette..." Kairi sighed.

Olette sat next to Selphie. "What's up?" She asked.

"I'm bored." Selphie pounded her head against the table.

"Mmm... I see." olette then looked up at Kairi, who was still standing. "Did you hear about that big party the hotel is throwing on the beach next week?"

"Uh... No?" Kairi said, a bit confused.

"Oh, well i heard it was fun. We should all go." Olette suggested with a smile.

"I'm hungry." Selphie siddenly decalred, got up, and left back into the hotel.

Kaiti sighed misserably and sat back down. "Yeah... I'll go..."

**+To Be Continued+**

**A/N: **Sorry it's so short, I didn't have too much time to write this chapter. Haha, at least my last update was early!

Anywayz... Don't forget about the challange! It's still going on (until chapter 34)

AWARDS

Top reviewer:** (tie) Hanakitsunchan7 **and** XFireFistAceX!!!!**

2nd place:** Volume-5!!!**

3rd place:**Aska-Seeker!! **_I actually made you scream?! WOW!_

4th place:**kenshinroks2111! **_;D_

REPLIES?

_Not this time around. I have something important to do. Next chapter for sure though!_

ABOUT ME

_Just working on something special for all of you that review that I'll be revealing on April 21 in one of my updates. _

BYE!

_Questions, Questions, Questions!!_

"I Love... I love... I love you." (from Pride and prejustice, my fav movie) -dies- -Cracker-Jacks000


	33. Give Me A Reason

**A/N: **WHOOO! 100,000 words!! My story's really gotten... Long. Anyways, see who's in the lead with the competition on my profile!

Enjoy the chapter! Replies this time! XD

**CHAPTER 33**

_**"Uh... No?" Kairi said, a bit confused.**_

_**"Oh, well i heard it was fun. We should all go." Olette suggested with a smile.**_

_**"I'm hungry." Selphie siddenly decalred, got up, and left back into the hotel.**_

_**Kairi sighed misserably and sat back down. "Yeah... I'll go..."**_

"R-riku!" Namine fussed, her question as to why he was dragging her to the airport at 6 AM in the morning still not answered.

His grip on her hand held tight as he fast-walked into the airport lobby and to the area Kyle told him to wait.

"You could at least explain!" Namine whined. "What're we _doing_ here?"

"Uh… Do you mind if I explain later?" Riku seemed a bit rushed. Well, DUH. They'd just ran 2 frigin' miles to the airport.

Namine gave him a look. "Are you kidding me? You wake me up suddenly without warning and somehow we ended up here. Explain. Now."

"Alright." Riku sighed, giving in. "Kyle called the other day-"

"You're brother?" Namine interrupted, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Riku rubbed the back of his head and looked away awkwardly. Damn! Why was he always the one that had to bear the bad news? He hadn't even asked her permission, or her dad's permission for that matter, for Kyle to even show up. The only person he'd told so far was Roxas, who'd agreed to sharing a room with Kyle. And, knowing Roxas, he'd probably already forgotten about it.

Namine folded her impatiently, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, you see… Okay, I'm going to start from the beginning. You know how Kyle's always gone partying, doing only God-knows-what?" Riku questioned.

Namine nodded her head slowly, not sure about where this was all going.

"His friends got into a little trouble, well, okay… A LOT of trouble. And they're kinda in the hospital right now…"

"What!?" Namine balked. "Is Kyle okay? What happened? Where-"Riku cut her off.

"Just listen." Riku tried to get her to be quiet again. "Kyle called last night and told me he needed me back at home-"

"Are you going back!?" Namine's eyes widened.

"No, no… Uh… Kyle's coming here." Riku looked away from her again, feeling stupid the way he'd explained half of it. Heh heh, he was starting to scare himself. The fact that what he'd already told her was only half of the whole story made him uneasy.

"You mean," Namine eyed him, even though he was avoiding her gaze, "You invited him to stay here while we're on vacation?"

Riku sighed in relief, glad he'd gotten at least this much finished.

Kyle answered Namine's question for Riku. "Yep." Kyle said, catching Namine off guard, suddenly appearing behind her.

Namine suddenly jumped from shock and turned to hide behind Riku, but relaxed when she realized who it was.

"Jeez, Namine." Riku laughed. "He won't eat you, okay?"

Namine rolled her eyes and waved at Kyle, who waved back.

"Hey, man." Riku and Kyle punched fists and gave each other a kind of sideways hug. "Which way to the hotel?" he then looked at Namine, who sighed. "If it's okay with your chick."

Namine gave him a look and Riku laughed.

"I mean Namine." Kyle corrected himself.

"It's fine." Namine looked at Riku and then back at Kyle.

"Uh… Right." Riku pointed to the exit. "This way."

"Don't tell me we're walking!" Kyle whined.

Namine snickered. That's EXACTLY what she'd asked when Riku'd dragged her down here.

Without further ado, They were off (Kyle had forced them to call a cab) back to the hotel, where Kyle would unpack in Roxas's room (He stole the bed next to the window) and join everyone at lunch where Riku would explain it to everyone.

**000**

Christmas…

The Wedding…

All of it was next week. And Namine's dad, James, wasn't sure he was ready for any of it. Not only did he only have 7 more days to finally tell her the REAL reason for taking this trip to Hawaii, if Riku didn't say something first, which he was certain that he wouldn't. Riku was a sweet boy. Or, that's what he inferred. Oh boy… James took a deep breath and washed off his face in the hotel bathroom (the public one) and looked at his drenched face, just about disgusted with himself. What the hell did he think he was doing? Brittany had recently gotten mad at him for not saying something yet, knowing that because of it Namine loathed her, and Riku'd just told him the night before that his daughter was miserable, when she was supposed to be enjoying the last week and a half of her vacation.

James ruffled his hair, and then combed it down again, purposely stalling. Why did he have to be so… he couldn't even explain how ridiculous his behavior was. He didn't want to cancel the wedding, which was the worst thing he could possibly d and wouldn't make anyone happy, but what else, the thought, was there left to do? There was no way he could tell Namine, not yet. Not after the way she'd been acting around him lately. He feared if he told her she'd begin to hate him too. Riku seemed so serious… He didn't know being so serious was possible for an over hormonal 18 year old. That only made his nervousness grow. He had to admit it; he was stuck. Backed up in a corner. As the pressure built he shut off the sink and screamed to loud he was sure everyone in the hotel had heard him. But, what did it matter?

Despite the fact he really didn't want to, he accepted the fact that he's have to tell the truth like the adult he was supposed to be. He'd have to say it soon. Like, today.

Oh… If only there was a single ounce of hope that Namine would understand.

**000**

Roxas knew it wasn't over, he just knew it. While he stood next to the hotel, almost hiding behind a tree that was next to the entrance, he watched Fa'an walk inside. He knew exactly where hew as headed. Roxas waited for a minute or two before following, just to make sure. Kim wasn't in her room; she was in town getting fixed up… Right? At least, that's where Hayner saw her leave to this morning. So, he confirmed Kim was safe. He was just following to make sure he wasn't up to anything…

But halfway down the hall to Fa'an and Kim's room, he was stopped by Sora, who seemed disturbed. Roxas tried to ignore Sora's calls for him, but it failed. Sora had caught up to him and grabbed his arm, "Roxas, slow down!" Sora whined.

"What?" Roxas moaned, looking back and fourth from the room to Sora.

"Did Riku tell you yet?" Sora seemed panicked.

"No," Roxas then continued towards Kim's room, "and I don't really think I'd care."

"It's about Namine's dad!" Roxas stopped at this and turned around.

"What?" He asked. "What about James?"

"Brittany and him, on Christmas, are-" Sora was cut off by a sharp scream from Kim's room and Roxas immediately dashed to the door, sliding on his heals when he stopped and grabbing the edge of the door. But before he could get inside the room Fa'an had harshly pushed him out of his way and left the hotel with his things and slammed the door behind him.

"Hey!" Roxas grabbed Fa'an collar. "What was that? Where d you think you're going?"

"I'm going home," Fa'an snarled. "It's better than being stuck on the island with you idiots!" Fa'an escaped Roxas's grip and left the scene before Roxas could say anything. He'd let him go, for now. There was something more important he needed to check…

Roxas was almost afraid to open the door he was now staring at. What if he'd actually…? What if she was actually…? But she wasn't… was she? Roxas was making no sense.

Roxas hesitantly reached for the door, but was stopped by Sora again.

"What was that about?" Sora asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "Did Fa'an do something?"

Roxas ignored his question and said, "It's a long story… I'll explain later. But, right now-" He was cut off by cried from the other side of the door.

"I HATE YOU!" Kim had yelled out to Fa'an from inside the room, her scream seeming more pained than furious.

Sora looked at Roxas, lifting an eyebrow as Roxas nearly lost his mind again. "What was-"

"Just go," Roxas grabbed hold of the door knob, "I have something I need to do… Alone."

Sora nodded, not willing to stick around anyways (Kim scared him). After he'd disappeared around the corner Roxas had opened the door to see Kim standing near the back of the room, close to the window. She didn't look to good…

Kim sank to her knees, staring blankly as she remembered the way that he left the room, without a passing glance.

She stared down at her hands that she held out in front of her and felt something warm run down her cheek as her hands shook from sheer terror, and then…

"Kim!" Roxas dashed into the room at first sight of her on the floor, not bothering to shut the door and staring as she looked up at him and glared. Anger was building up fast.

"Are you Okay?" The boy kneeled down next to her as she ignored him. "Kim!" He shook her back and fourth with a firm grip on her shoulders.

Kim opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was, "I give up…"  
Roxas cocked an eyebrow at this. "What?" He asked, confused, then looked around at the now-empty room. He'd taken everything.

"He's gone…" She muttered, "He's really gone…"

"What did he do?" Roxas examined the cuts and broses all over her body, most of them from yesterday and days previous.

Kim didn't answer; instead she shook her head back and fourth. He must've said something to her before he left… He'd never seen a person like Kim on the floor weeping over some person that shouldn't have really mattered that much to her in the first place. So, what was with her behavior?

He could only wish that he knew.

Kim pushed him away and stood up on her feet by herself, brushed her arms and legs off, "He didn't do anything." She'd finally answered, walking over to her bed and pulled some luggage from under it, and began packing her clothing into it; the only things Fa'an didn't take with him.

Roxas looked at her funny. "What're you doing?"

"I'm leaving too." Kim confirmed. "I can't stand it here. Every where I turn there's something else… Something that wants to rub the fact that I'm a horrible person even deeper into my face." She didn't sound happy at all. She continued: "Not to mention You're here. You're not making anything better."

Roxas was taken back at this. "Pfft… Well that's a nice thing to say after I saved your ass the other day."

"And you know what?" Kim looked up at him, that same hate in her eyes that Fa'an had looked at her with. "It's all your fault."

"My fault?" Roxas felt an argument begin to come up. "Who decided to go out with a jerk? Who decided to let him boss you around? Who decided to even bring him here in the first place?!"

"Who decided to pick at business that wasn't theirs and make things even worse?!" Kim and Roxas were now exchanging death glares, nose to nose, arms folded and you could even imagine lighting in the background.

"Well I'm So_rry_ for caring!"

"Me too!"

"You're so-"Roxas turned away from her and huffed, deciding there wasn't a single word in his vocabulary that he could use to describe how much he hated her. And she hated him back. Hated him with a passion.

"I can't even look at you without throwing up a little inside!" Kim shouted before turning her back to him as well, now facing the window.

"I bet you wish you hadn't stolen those tickets now, huh?" Roxas shocked her with those words.

Oh crap… He'd found out it was her?

Well_ DUH_! She just 'appears' out of no where with free tickets when he's missing his and just 'happens' to have a room in the same hotel on the same island. Wonderful. She knew she should've been sneakier.

"Hn." Kim grunted, unwilling to answer the question. He already knew it was her, so, what's the point?

"I thought so." Roxas sighed. "You got me into so much trouble, you know that?" He was now sitting on her bed as she faced him again.

_"Really?"_ She asked.

"Uh-huh." Roxas took a deep, deep breath. "I just barely escaped Namine's wrath and had to sell ALL of my skateboards to make up for the money. I'm lucky Namine hasn't had time to notice what really happened yet."

"_Oh_, she hasn't, has she?" He heard Kim snicker evilly.

_OH DEAR LORD_. He just HAD to open his big mouth. Now, for sure, she'd use it against him. Just what he needed.

He looked up at Kim, who smirked devilishly.

"I guess I'll just have to stay here, then." She began unpacking all over again as Roxas watched.

"You wouldn't…" Roxas eyed her.

"Uh, yeah," Kim looked at him like he was some idiot, "I would."

Roxas huffed and left the room, seemingly determined to keep Namine as far away as possible.

The chance to blackmail Roxas wasn't the only reason she'd decided to stay though… She knew there was something else. Something deeper and, well, kinda confusing.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

**000  
**

"I'm so excited!" Selphie jumped around in circles. "How come you didn't tell me there was a party tomorrow night?"

"Well, I _tried_," Olette explained, "but you wouldn't listen."

Selphie didn't believe her, although it was true. "No, I would've heard something like that."

"Whatever, Selphie." Namine laughed. Kairi giggled along too.

The four girls had taken a walk a few hours ago together, wandering around the island until the ended up on the beach under a few large shade trees. They sat in a circle on the ground, taking off their shoes and letting their fingers and toes sink into the sand while they talked and enjoyed the day.

"What do you think it'll be like?" Selphie asked, dreamy-like.

"I heard there would be fireworks near midnight." Kairi laid down on her back, staring up at the long, green branches of the tree they were under.

"You'd think they'd decided to throw the part on Christmas Eve or something, instead of right out of the blue." Namine said.

Well, it is kind of their Christmas Party. It's just, after tomorrow; most of their employees will be gone on their own vacation." Olette explained.

"I see." Selphie became uninterested, and looked for something else to talk about. "So Riku told me Kyle came here this morning?" Selphie then looked at Namine. "Care to explain?"

"Kyle explained everything himself during lunch, remember?" Namine cocked an eyebrow.

Before Selphie could respond, Kairi answered for her. "Selphie slept in and missed lunch."

"Oh." Namine nodded. "Well, Riku's not telling me everything… I know that… But What I do know, that Kyle hadn't told any of you, if that his friends as in the hospital. Riku told me that he'd invited him over to keep him out of the same trouble."

"What?" Selphie balked. "What happened to his friends?!"

Namine shrugged. "They wouldn't tell me the rest."

Selphie hunched over and pouted.

Olette looked at Namine. "Will Kyle be alright?"

Namine nodded, "He seems sad, but, not that sad. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Kairi, out of nowhere, began to sequel. "Sora said he had a surprise for me tomorrow. You know, during the party."

They all looked at her quizzically. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Kairi said, but still seemed excited. "He said it was really special though!"

Namine smiled at her. "Did he say a time? The party lasts from a little after 12'o'clock, noon, till nearly 1:00 AM."

Kairi shook her head and frowned. "No, he didn't say a time."

Selphie nearly pounced on Kairi. "I'm so happy for you! I get to watch, right?"

_"No."_ Kairi said blankly.

Selphie began to pout again.

"Sounds romantic," Olette stared, starry eyed, "Sora's always been cute like that."

Kairi smiled really wide, "I know."

Namine then looked across the beach when Selphie attention had also been drawn that way, along with Kairi and Olette.

Roxas was approaching them haste fully.

"What do you want, Roxas?" Kairi was annoyed. It was supposed to be just the girls.

"I just wanted to saw, stay away from Kim." Roxas panted, looking back at the building off in the distance. You could just barely see the hotel from where they were.

"And what makes you think-"Selphie was cut off by Namine.

"Wait," Namine looked him in the eye, "Why?"

"Uh, well, you see-"Roxas stopped himself. "Just, if you see hr coming, just stay out of her way and don't listen to her. Okay?"

"You still haven't explained why." Namine pressed further. Selphie was giggling in the background.

Roxas ignored her and went on, "Just stay out of her way." And with hat, he was gone.

"What was that about?" Olette made a face.

Kairi shrugged, "I guess we'll see."

"Hm…" Namine was still thinking, studying Roxas as he dashed back towards the hotel.

Selphie suddenly shook Namine back and fourth. "Let's go get ice cream!" She insisted.

They all agreed and left. Just sitting on the beach was getting boring anyways.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **_WHOOOOO! _The Drama is FINALLY taking a break. The next chapter, be prepared for a big party and loads apon loads of FLUFF!

And I'll try to make the chapter longer than usual too (Groan from the author)

AWARDS

Top Reviewer:**hanakitsunechan7 -tie- XFireFistAceX!!!!**

2nd place:**The Darkside Incarnate!!!**

3rd place:**naminecrys4riku!!**

4th place:**sayshello3!**

REPLIES

**XFireFistAceX... **_Lolz, that was really long. Didn't you say it was like... 1304 words long? JEEZ. I can't imagine how long that mustive taken. Haha, Roxas... Lol, that was funny. Thank a bunch and have a great weekend. _

**hitman33333... **_Haha, cults... Thanks for te review!!! Have a great weekend!_

**The Darkside Incarnate... **_Hey, THANKS! You'll hear about the full story about what happened to Kyle later on, don't worry. Lol, and I WON'T kill my own charecter, you don't have to worry about that. Have a great weekend. _

**naminecrys4riku... **_haha, I know. Those reviews can get SOOOO long!!! Heehee, thanks for the idea of Namine's dad's name... I saw that you said "How about james?" and I was like "Yeah, that works..." :D All you're questions will be answered with the rest in chapter 34. Have a great weekend!_

**sayshello3... **_Yes, the movie is VERY good. So good, I cried. No joke... haha, you'll read about the fully story about Kyle's situation later. Have a great weekend!_

**katey... **_Yep, they're getting MARRIED! lolz, have a great weekend!_

**hanakitsunchan7... **_Yay! Thanks for the long review!! WHOO! I know, that meanie!!! (lolz, meanie... I sound like a 5 year old) that is wrong, killing his own girlfriend... Aw, whoever thought we'd start feeling for Kim? (Evil Kim, not my friend) thanks again for the review!! Have a great weekend!_

**pips12... **_Yep, married. MARRIED! CURSE YOU FA'AN!!! (Mwahahaha, author laughs behind the computer. I get to write WHATEVER I want... -gives a dirty look to Fa'an-) Lol, have a great weekend!_

**Bloody Rose... **_Laffy taffy and Pixi sticks... Lolz, I had some yesterday... (hides the rest from you) (doesn't like to share) Have a great weekend!_

'BOUT MEEEE

Lolz, I've been getting into poetry lately... I used have troubles with finding rhymes, but GUESS WHAT! There's an online rhyme dictionary!!! LOL! Haha, I might show you all some lately.

BYE

This authors note is already too long...

Lolz, laptop went into HIBERNATION! -Cracker-Jacks


	34. The Perfect Night

**A/N:** YEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Guess-what Guess-what Guess-what!? It's exactly 1 YEAR since I started "Another story!" I'm so happy! Everyone who's kept me inspired this whole year to keep going on this story (again, for a whole YEAR!) thank you SO MUCH! How in the world did I get lucky enough to reach over 350 reviews, too? OMG you all rock!!! (I'm drinking WAY too much mountain dew) So you know what that means...

It's time for me to give out "Thank You" spoilers!! Just tell me what you want to know, and no matter what, I'll tell you (in the e-mail reply so nobody else can see, 1 spoiler per person) again, anything!!!

Also, the questions are answered in this chapter and the winner of the competition is announced! So, enjoy, I tried to make this chapter longer than my normal chapters are :D

**Disclaimer:** -Clings to Sora- I said I wanted to marry Sora but Tetsuya said "NOOO. He's not yours!"

Oh, and the poem isn't mine ether.

**CHAPTER 34**

_**Kairi shrugged, "I guess we'll see."**_

_**"Hm…" Namine was still thinking; studying Roxas as he dashed back towards the hotel.**_

_**Selphie suddenly shook Namine back and fourth. "Let's go get ice cream!" She insisted.**_

_**They all agreed and left. Just sitting on the beach was getting boring anyways.**_

The next day, around 9 AM, Roxas was already up and stalking around in the hallways (next to Namine's room) literally waiting for Kim to show up. There was no way he would let Namine find out... She already had problems to deal with.

Actually, he wasn't concerned about Namine at all at the moment. It was his own ass that he wanted to save. Only god knows what Namine'd do to him if she ever found out that he was stupid enough to let Kim get a hold of the tickets...

Calm down, Roxas thought to himself, she won't find out a thing.

Just then, he saw you-know-who walking down the hall and towards him. Or, he thought she was headed towards him until she walked right by him without a passing glance.

"Hm?" He turned around and watched Kim continue to walk down he hall he was in and then disappear around a corner.

"Um..." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "That was easier than I expected..."

"What was?" Riku asked, suddenly appearing behind Roxas and tapping him on the shoulder.

"Ah-err..." Roxas jumped for a moment and flinched, but relaxed when he turned around and saw Riku. "Oh, ha-ha, it's just you. I thought it might me Namin--" He stopped himself.

"What about Namine?" Riku asked, making a face.

"Um... Nothing." Roxas scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking to the side.

"What are you doing out here?" Riku finally asked. "I heard you from inside my room freaking out. You're lucky you didn't wake up Namine too."

"Oh, sorry about that." Roxas laughed lightly.

"Uh, Yeah. Go freak out somewhere else, I'm still tired." Riku pointed in a different direction, signaling him to leave.

Roxas sighed. "Whatever."

He guessed he'd just follow Kim around. He needed to keep an eye on her anyways; make sure she stayed away...

Riku sighed miserably and went back into his room, shutting the door and locking it, turning off the light in the room; making sure there was no possible reason for Namine to wake up. Riku walked over to the bed again (using the dim light though the curtains from the sun rise to find his way around) and lay back down on his side of the bed, warming back up under the covers. The morning had been oddly cold.

Just before he drifted back off into sleep, he felt a squirming from the opposite side of the bed and turned over, facing Namine's back. He frowned as listened to her mumble something in her sleep. He thought she might be awake. As he watched her breathe in and out, he scooted closer, until he was wrapping his arms around her middle from behind and resting his head on her shoulder next to her head, closing his eyes and felt her lean into his chest, relaxing against him and sighing peacefully. Maybe she was awake.

"Morning..." He whispered in her ear, tiling his head towards her face. She giggled softly, not bothering to open her eyes, and nuzzled her face into his neck. He smiled. Good, it seemed as thought she was relaxed this morning. That meant he was doing something right.

He loved the way her body fit perfectly against his, the two pieces in a puzzle. It just felt right.

"What happened?" She asked; her voice faint and tired.

"Roxas." Riku chuckled.

"Hm."

Riku leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Feeling better?" he asked.

Namine nodded slowly, hugging his arms around her waist.

Riku sighed, remembering what Namine's father had said yesterday. He'd better be thinking of something. Anything.

And to think, Namine had just started calming down.

"Namine?" Riku asked, but no reply. She'd fallen asleep again.

He rested his head next to hers again and closed his eyes, attempting to fall asleep himself.

But how could he? How could he sleep with all of this on his shoulders? It'd be so easy to just give up, but that wasn't something he planned on doing. Even thought he felt like breaking down and hiding in a corner for the moment.

What had he gotten himself into?

**000**

Sora was up on the third floor of the hotel with Kairi and Selphie getting breakfast when they saw Kim walk across the room and head out the door to the deck outside and thought another door from there that lead to a giant lounge. Close behind, they saw Roxas sneaking behind her, spying.

Sora sighed, "He's just never going to quit, is he?"

"Did you hear about Fa'an?" Selphie asked, stuffing food into her mouth and talking through it. "He left yesterday."

"Good riddance." Kairi groaned. "I can't sleep knowing his room's only a few doors down from mine."

"I don't see why Kim would like him." Selphie made a face.

"Scary meets mean," Sora chuckled, "Perfect match."

Kairi nudged him and giggled.

"If Roxas keeps following her something bad's going to happen," Selphie said in-between bites of food. "I just know it."

"Mm." Kairi and Sora sat at the table next to a window with Selphie. "I'm sure Roxas doesn't really care what happens."

Sora started laughing hysterically out of the blue, "That reminds me!" He laughed. "I asked Roxas if he had a crush on Kim the other day."

"Did he hit you?" Kairi asked, giggling again.

"No, he just stared." Sora was still laughing. "It was priceless! He gave me this look... eyes wide and the works. It looked like he'd just seen a ghost."

"Sounds like you horrified him." Kairi laughed. "I wish I was there."

"It'd be funny if they actually got together." Selphie snickered evilly.

"No," Kairi corrected, "That'd be awkward."

"And funny."

"Whatever."

"The party starts in 4 hours," Kairi squealed, "I can't wait!"

"I saw them setting up outside this morning," Sora told, then pointed to the window and outside, in-between the hotel and the ocean; on the beach, "There's still there, see?"

"Ooh," Kairi's excitement level grew, "I want to help!"

"Me too!" Selphie started in awe at the lights they were setting up and on the deck there was a large stereo with monstrous sized speakers for the music. There was a large, long, straight table covered with an aqua table cloth and the table was placed on the deck opposite from the stereo. They were just bring out and preparing the food. Lots of volunteers from town were putting up decorations and such, while the employees of the hotel set up out-side furniture around the area, throwing confetti here and there, this way and that. They still had a lot of work to do, but the party looked awesome so far.

"Do you think they'll let you help?" Sora asked.

"They let people from town." Kairi informed.

Sora shrugged, "I guess you could try."

"Yeah, Okay!" Kairi shot up and grabbed Selphie's wrist, dragging her down three floors and outside where they were put to work.

"I... Didn't mean now." Sora sighed, too late. Just then Riku walked up and sat across from him.

"All this food yours?" He asked, laughing.

"No, mostly Kairi and Selphie's. They just left." Sora sighed a second time.

"I guess they left in a hurry. Where'd they go?" Riku questioned.

"Sora pointed outside at two hyper girls trying to help volunteers with the decorations and banners.

"I see." Riku looked out of the window.

"I still can't believe your brother's here." Sora looked at Riku again, who made a face.

"He keeps getting himself into trouble." Riku said. "He's 4 years older than I am and I have to act like his freaking babysitter."

"You're brother's 22?" Sora cocked en eyebrow.

"That's not my point." Riku groaned.

"Right, sorry." Sora then got up. "I have to go, might as well take a shower before the party."

"Hm..." Riku looked out of the window again, setting his elbow on he table and resting his head in the palm of his hand.

Sora looked at Riku one more time, looked out of the window, and then headed down a floor to his room.

As soon as Sora was gone, Riku took out a photo from his pocket of him and Namine. The picture was taken before they were together. She always seemed so distant before they'd gotten together. He didn't know much about her past and didn't really want to. Namine was so shy when he'd first met her. It was amazing how much she'd changed. A mix or emotions always ran though his head when he looked at the other picture. The second picture was taken of Namine and him around the time she'd started staying at his house because her father was always gone. It reminded him of how secretive she was. It scared him to think that there was still a lot about her that he didn't know.

He'd watched Namine turn into a different person. From shy and quiet and depressed to outgoing and happy but... again, secretive.

There was still a part of him that was glad that he didn't know, though. He loves Namine for who she is, not who she might've been.

And Namine obviously didn't seem to want to think about her past, considering she'd never even brought it up.

But, even if Riku wanted to know... He had the rest of his life to ask. The rest of his life to learn even more about her.

And, really, he didn't really care much for her past. Did it really matter? It seemed stupid to worry about it.

If Namine was hiding something from him, he'd know. And she wasn't.

Riku had gotten up and stretched his arms into the air before going back down the stairs and down a hallway that lead to His room, where Namine was still sleeping. Most likely. It was about time he should wake her up.

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him quietly, then tip-toes over the bed and leaned over the edge, staring at Namine's face, listening to her breaths. He smiled, beginning to get excited.

The party later on today was well-needed. He couldn't wait to see Namine happy again. She loved parties.

He watched Namine sleep for a few more minutes, admiring her stunning beauty. He couldn't get over how gorgeous she was. She looked like a princess, even when she had sleep in her eyes.

She was his princess.

He leaned over farther and kissed her check, and then the corner of her mouth as she began to stir, waking up.

When he pulled away she opened her eyes slowly and stared at him. "Riku?" she asked.

Riku's smile grew twice it's size as he literally pounced on her, "Wake up!" he laughed as he landed on top of her, catching her off guard as he laid a kiss on her lips, still laughing in-between breaths. "You know what day it is?" He asked against her mouth.

Namine's lips curved into a smile against his lips as she wrapped one arm around his neck while the other was caught in-between their bodies. "No, what?" She asked.

He pulled away and rolled off of her and stood up on his feet again, grabbing both Namine's hands, holding them in his as he pulled her to her feet in front of him and he kissed her again before letting her go. "That party is today."

"Oh," Namine began to laugh at him, "Is that what you're so excited about?"

Riku grinned as he watched her browse through her clothes in the closet for something nice to wear, but also comfortable, and she was sure she'd be out celebrating all night with everyone else, so she might as well dress warm too.

She grabbed a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, sandals, a black T-shit with read letters written on it that read "Kiss me, I'm Irish," a small white belt and a large, white sweater that read "Destiny High" on the back for later tonight.

She skipped of to the bathroom as Riku watched her and shut the door behind her as she got dressed. "How long till the party?" She asked, yelling so Riku would hear her through the door.

Riku checked his watch. "In about three and a half hours!" He yelled back.

"Oh, okay!"

As soon as she was dressed and she brushed her hair and straightened it, pinning a small part of her hair back with a colorful clip, and letting the rest of her hair hang down past her shoulders.

"You look nice." Riku eyed her up and down, admiring her body. Namine was still the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

"Thanks." She winked at him and grabbed a small bag, stiffing her blue and white 2 piece bathing suit and her cell phone in it. That's all that would really fit.

Riku walked up behind her and grabbed her by the waist. "What do you want to do while we wait?"

Namine turned her head to the side and looked at him. "There's a movie out I kind of want to see. Is that okay? I know it sounds boring but-"

Riku kissed her on the cheek. "Great idea." he interrupted her.

Namine laughed and turned around so she was facing him and she brushed some of his silver locks out of his face. "Tame your hair first though. It looks worse than mine in the morning."

Riku laughed at her and rolled his eyes. "Yes dear."

"We're giving each other nicknames now?" Namine smirked.

"Don't even start." Riku went into the bathroom and reached for a brush, still laughing.

"I think I'm going to start calling you pudding." Namine joked. "Or sweetie."

"Please don't." Riku couldn't stop laughing.

"Joking." Namine stuck her tongue out at him.

She was too cute.

**000**

"Quit following me." Kim had finally caught him. She turned around to face him once she'd stepped inside a small, dim room with no windows and a small, grey couch.

Roxas came out of hiding and walked in front of her, laughing awkwardly and scratching the back of his head. "Fine, you caught me…" He said.

Kim gave him a look at sat down, pulling out her book and she began to read. Roxas sat next to her.

"What 'cha reading?" He asked, leaning over to the side and peaking inside of the book.

"None of your business." Kim didn't bother looking at him, but tolerated his presence. There was no time for arguing at the moment. She'd had enough with Fa'an.

"Roxas leaned over forward and caught a glance at the cover and grimaced. "It's that Spanish book again!"

"German." Kim corrected.

Roxas grunted.

"What are you still doing here?" Kim asked, looking up from her book.

Roxas shrugged. "There's nothing better to do. Why?"

"You're annoying." Kim turned the page in her book and continued reading while she talked. "That's why. Go away."

"That wasn't very nice." Roxas grunted again.

Kim didn't reply. Honestly, she didn't really care what Roxas had to say.

"Why'd you decide to read in a place like this?" Roxas continued to ask questions, "Talk about gloomy."

"It's quiet." Kim told, turning the page again.

"You read really fast…" Roxas watched her eyes move across the paper.

"Thanks, captain obvious."

"Just saying."

"Not caring."

Roxas suddenly changed the subject, getting right to the point. "You're not really going to tell Namine, are you?"

Kim didn't say anything, instead; she laughed. Loud.

Roxas sighed, burying his face in his hands. "You're not going to give me a break, huh?"

Kim was about to open her mouth to speak but stopped herself when there was a loud shriek from outside.

"What the hell was that?" Roxas gawked.

Kim got up and shrugged, "I don't know." She headed for the door, intending on peaking into the hall way to see what it was.

Roxas walked in front of the door, stopping her from leaving. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Away."

"Why?"

"Move."

"No."

"MOVE!"

"NO!"

Kim held up a threatening fist, but Roxas put a hand over it and lowered it again. "No violence in the hotel please," He made himself act serious.

Kim grunted. "Quit being an obvious idiot."

Kim suddenly lifted up her book and caught Roxas off guard by hitting him in the side of the head with her "German" book.

Roxas flew backward a bit, and now Kim was the one standing in front of the door, reaching for the door knob.

"Wait!" Roxas grabbed her wrist, which made Kim uncomfortable.

Kim scowled at him, "WHAT?!"

"I wanted to ask a question," Roxas told after Kim smacked his hand away.

"Go on..." She said in a bored tone, folding her arms and leaning back against the door.

"What made you want to go out with Fa'an?" He asked.

Kim grimaced. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I asked."

"Well I'm not saying."

"That's not very-"

"Don't repeat yourself."

"I bet it was horrible kissing him."

Kim made a face, "Why would you say that?"

Roxas shrugged. "I just didn't think you and THAT kind of guy would be all into making out, you know? Even I think he's disgusting."

"Disgusting or Not, I'll kiss anyone I want!"

"Fine!" Roxas shouted, then suddenly something came out of his mouth that he wished he could take back, "Then why don't you kiss me!?"

"Fine!" Kim wished she'd just run away.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

With every "Fine" they were getting closer and closer until Kim was literally stuck in between the door and Roxas.

As they kept screaming suddenly the door flew open, unfortunately, pushing Kim into Roxas and her face landed on his, locking with his lips. "Hey, Roxas! I needed to----" Riku stopped himself and just stared as Kim immediately pushed off Roxas and double smacked him.

"YOU!" She shrieked. "Run!"

Roxas totally ignored Riku and DOVE out the door screaming for dear life as Kim was on his tail.

"Uh..." Riku scratched the back of his head. "Bad timing..."

**000**

"What's wrong with you?" Namine asked, watching Riku walk back outside where he told her to wait, a blank expression plastered on his face.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Riku sighed.

Namine was smiling again, and grabbed his hand and began literally skipping off into town. "I know what movie I want to see!"

A few hours later, after the movie had ended, Namine had quickly run back to the hotel with Riku to grab the 2000 munny she gotten from the sold "Tickets." To spend in town like she'd planned on doing when she'd gotten here.

They were currently in a little sunglasses/ swim suit store.

"I like these!" Namine held an oversized pair of brown sunglasses up to her face. "What about you?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "They look funny."

"I don't know." Namine started to tease him, holding one end of the glasses down and winking at him. "I, for one, think I pretty hot."

Riku laughed and took the huge sunglasses from her. "You always look hot."

Namine reached for another copy of the same pair of sunglasses, walked then up to the counter and bought them, laughing as Riku grunted.

Leaving with him and back out into town, she quickly dashed into the store across from the one they just came out of.

Namine "oohed" and awed" at all the Hawaiian tickets and jewelry. Riku rolled his eyes a second time. She just HAD to drag him into every girly store in town.

Namine had bought 3 more things from that store (a keychain, a poster with a waterfall on it, and a small gold keychain) and headed for the exit of the store.

As they were leaving, something shiny (and expensive) from one of the cases on the expensive side of the store caught his eye.

He stared at it for a moment, admiring the details and gawking at the price tag "50,000 munny" on it.

"Riku!" Namine called from outside of the store, "Come on!"

"Uh, coming..." Riku looked away from the diamond ring, sighed, and followed Namine to another girly store.

Why, might you ask, was he looking at a ring?

He wanted to ask himself the same question but ignored it. He abruptly felt ill for some reason.

**000**

"Finally!" Selphie and Kairi said, standing back-to-back proudly. "Ta-da!" They sang, holding out their hands to the finished party area, which looked amazing.

Namine giggled, slipping on her new sunglasses and setting her little bag down under the deck next to the hotel.

People were already partying; dancing and singing and eating; the works.

It was only about lunch time when the party had finally started, so most people were absent. It was pretty empty at the moment.

All of that would change by the time the sun started to set around 9, though, when everyone realized what was going on.

But as of right now, it was only the group of Namine and her friends and a few other people.

Selphie perched herself next to the table where all the lunch food was (they decided to wait to switch the junk food in till 9:00 PM) and ate away as Wakka and Tidus were at the shore line, kicking and passing the Blitz Ball here and there, you'd think that they'd be bored by now...

Roxas and Kim were, as expected, still missing.

Kairi had gotten all dressed up, make-up and nice clothes she'd just bought a few hours previous. She looked amazing.

It was hard for Sora to stop staring. (A/N: XD)

Pence waved his hand over Sora's face, "We need our idiot back on Earth, please." He laughed.

Riku was trying to convince Namine to ditch those silly sun glasses of hers, Hayner and Olette were already dancing (well, for Hayner it counted as tripping) and Kyle was conveniently out of the way and sitting next to the stereo.

"I feel bad for Roxas." Namine sighed, finally giving into Riku and putting away her new sunglasses.

"Pfft." Riku laughed. "It's bound to happen sooner or later!"

"It's your fault, you know." Namine nudged him and giggled. "Good job."

"Se's probably still beating his ass up right now." Riku looked around for a moment, and then back at Namine. "I doubt we'll see him for a while."

"She is NOT." Roxas said, coming up behind them and punching Riku, quite harshly, in the arm. "Thanks a lot, "Buddy."

Riku flinched, and then rubbed his arm. "God... Give me a heart attack!"

"Jeez," Roxas was scowling at Riku, "She was soooo mad! I didn't know so many cuss words could fit into one sentence!"

"Where is she now?" Namine asked.

"Probably still looking for me in town. I escaped..." Roxas began to laugh. "Hopefully she'll calm down by tonight. I'd rather not spend the whole party running from her."

"I'd rather not spend my time watching." Riku snorted.

Over where Kairi was, talking to one of the volunteers, a boy about her age had approached her and began gawking.

"Where'd you come from, hot stuff?!" The boy had an accent. "Dang!"

Sora suddenly appeared behind Kairi and he wrapped his arms around her, stilling his tongue out. "She's mine."

Kairi giggled.

**000**

Olette and Hayner had been dancing for about a half hour when they'd decided to go off back into the hotel for a little while to cool off. The sun was beating down on their backs hard.

"I think I have a sunburn..." Olette pouted.

"You'll be fine," Hayner laughed, handing her a bottle of sun screen.

"Look how red my shoulders are!" Olette complained, "I look like a frigin' cherry!"

"Calm down," Hayner had put the bottle on sun screen away when she'd rejected it.

Olette plopped herself on her bed, sagging over as she sighed. "I can't believe it... I'm already tired."

Hayner sat next to her. "Yeah, it must take some SERIOUS energy to dance that bad."

"Yea-HEY!" Olette playfully punched his arm. "That was mean!"

"So," Hayner changed the subject, "what did you get me for Christmas?"

"You'll find that out on Christmas." Olette giggled.

"Aw, come on!" Hayner punched her playfully back.

"No!" Olette continued to giggle.

"Look!" Hayner pointed at her face. "I got you to smile!"

"Shut-up."

"Oh... There goes your smile..."

"Hayner!"

Hayner laughed as Olette gave him a face.

"How about we go back outside?" Hayner suggested, "I bet they're wondering where we are right about now."

"Fine." Olette was giggling again, right before out of nowhere, Hayner kissed her.

"Hayner?" She asked when he'd pulled away quickly, as if he were embarrassed.

"Uh..." Hayner began to laugh and grabbed her hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

Olette rolled her eyes. _Guys..._

**000**

The day had gone by quickly, and before they knew it the party was packed and it seemed like the whole freaking town was there, outside of the hotel at the party.

Sora and Kairi could barely find where around, what with all the people. They weaved there way in and out of the area, trying to ignore how annoying the crowd was. Wasn't the party just for the hotel?

"I can't even see where anything is anymore..." Sora sighed, finally making it inside the hotel and he sat on the second floor balcony with Kairi. "They're everywhere."

"So?" Kairi looked at him, dangling her feet off the edge of the balcony. "We're alone here. And look! You can see all the stars now!" She pointed at the sky.

Sora looked up at the darkening sky with her. "Look, the moon is full."

Kairi sighed peacefully and rested her head on his shoulder. "Amazing, huh?"

Sora looked down at her and smiled warmly, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders.

"It's romantic, huh?" The question Kairi had asked caught him off guard.

He didn't know what to say back for a moment, but just simply sighed, "Yeah..."

Kairi tilted her head so she was looking up at him, but her head was still resting on his shoulder.

He looked down at her and made a face. "What?" He asked.

She smiled, looked back up at the sky, and didn't say a word.

"You know what else?" He asked, tightening his grip around her shoulders.

"What?" She looked up at him again.

"It's cold out here too."

Kairi laughed, "Do you want to go inside and grab something warm to drink?" She suggested.

The look on Sora's face made her literally melt as he sighed in relief, "That sounds great right about now."

They got up and walked into the hotel and up a floor to the third floor where a few people sat around in the dining room sipping coffee and hot chocolate.

Sora grabbed 2 hot cups of hot chocolate and they walked back down the second floor and sat on the balcony once more, sipping on the warm drink slowly and letting the hot cup warm their hands.

"Ow..." Kairi laughed at herself.

"What?" Sora asked.

"I burnt my tongue." She stuck her tongue out playfully for him to see.

"Careful." Sora laughed.

"You could be next." Kairi returned to the cup, giggling softly.

Sora's right arm made it around her shoulders again as he shook his head, trying not to laugh at her silliness.

He felt lucky again at that moment. Beyond lucky. It amazed him that everything was actually turning out okay, just like she said it would. Maybe woman were right about everything... Well, maybe not everything... But close.

Kairi was as perfect as perfect got; there was nothing about her that he didn't like. He liked the way that her glorious red hair fell upon her shoulders, the intensity of those blue eyes, and her amazing figure. But he liked her personality most. He hardly every caught her in a bad mood, no matter what was going on. Her house could be on fire, and she'd still smile if he wanted her to.

She knew what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. She was always on the right side of everything, and if there wasn't a right side, she'd make one up.

Now, tell him how he ever ended up with such an angel? Why him?

"Mmm..." He hummed, resting his head atop hers and rubbing her shoulder gently, as if to relax her.

"What time is it?" Kairi broke the silence after what seemed like forever.

Sora looked at his watch. "10:30 P.M." He answered.

"Oh..." She sighed.

"Why?"

"Just a little tired, I guess."

"Oh."

There was a sigh, and then another moment of silence before Sora spoke up.

"Well, you can go to bed if you want."

Kairi grinned, and nuzzled her face against his neck, setting the empty hot chocolate cup on the floor next to her so she could wrap her arms around him softy. "Oh, Sora..."

"Really, it's okay." Sora assured, trying not to make her feel guilty if she wanted to leave.

"And end this perfect night early?" Kairi's arms made their way around his neck. "Never."

"Kairi..." He stroked her head lovingly, sitting up straight again as she leaned on him.

"Hey," Kairi started, "do you ever wonder what it would be like to live on the moon?"

Sora made a face, but played along, "When I was little, I guess. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering..." Kairi closed her eyes and smiled softly, "If the moon looks so amazing from here, could you possably imagine what Earth looks like from there?"

"Big." Sora snorted.

Kairi nudged him, "Sora!" She giggled.

"Alright, you win." Sora laughed for a few more minutes along with her before silence set in again. It seemed to last forever this time, and the more time that went by, the more heavy her eye lids became.

Off in the distance, Sora could see late storm clouds headed their way too.

As Kairi began to lean on him more, too tired to support herself as she fought the urge to close her eyes and sleep.

"You can sleep if you want to." Sora rubbed her shoulder again, assuring her that it was okay.

"But-" was all Kairi would get out before sighing. She looked up at him slowly and tried to smile.

Without warning, Sora had picked her up, off of her feet, and began carrying her back into the hotel and to their room.

"Sora?" Kairi's head rested against his chest as he carried her.

"You really should sleep." Sora insisted, opening their door and closing it behind them, setting her down and smiling and he rested his hands on her shoulders and looked at her. "Please?"

Kairi began to laughing again, but faintly, and reached for her night clothes and got dressed in the bathroom as Sora waited just outside, looking for his jacket.

Kairi turned the bathroom light off and shut the door as she headed for her bed and sat down for a minute as Sora threw on his jacket and stood before her for a minute, getting down on his knees so his eyes would be level with hers. "Sleep well, okay?" The sincere look in his eyes made her hand reach for the side of his face.

"Okay." Was all she said before her fingers laced with the spikes in his hair and she leaned over to kiss him tenderly, tilting her head and placing her other hand on his shoulder to keep herself up. He stopped himself for a moment, watching as her eyes close and her hair fall in front of her face.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his eyes to as he pressed his lips against hers, savoring the moment before Kairi broke away after just a few seconds.

She hugged him then, and tightly. He could barely breathe through her grip. He hugged her back though, holding as tightly as he dared.

Her grip loosened when she realized he was struggling for air. "Enjoy the fireworks." She said, pulling away then and smiling sweetly. "Tell me about it in the morning.

Sora leaned in to kiss her one more time, not ready to let go. When he pulled away, he kissed her forehead and stood up again, giving her his best smile before he walked over to the door and looked over his shoulder one more time, watching her settle under the blanket before he turned off the light and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

As he walked outside and joined Hayner and Pence in watching the ocean, he took the soda they offered him and they sat in chairs on the beach (very close to the area where people were dancing and the music was blaring) and they asked about where Kairi was. He told them she fell asleep and they laughed and they spend the next hour and a half listening to the music and chatting about the usual guy-stuff.

Sora couldn't ignore the storm clouds he saw nearing the hotel though. He might not have much to tell Kairi about the fireworks in the morning.

**000**

Tidus had taken a break from blitz ball when Wakka had left inside to escape from the cold air. He found Selphie at the food table and approached her easily; sneaking up behind her and laughing when she'd shown him that shocked look of hers.

"Tidus!" Selphie whined.

"Calm down." Tidus laughed.

Selphie sighed, "I'll forgive you if you go get me some punch."

"They're out." Tidus pointed to the empty punch bowl.

Selphie pointed.

Tidus took the seat next to her and slightly flinched at the loudness of the stereo. "How can you stand being so close to the speakers?" He asked.

Selphie shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Have you been eating the whole time?" Tidus asked.

Selphie nodded, stuffing a cookie in her face. "Uh-huh." She answered.

Tidus chuckled and handed her more sweats from the table. "Careful, you'll get fat."

Selphie gawked at him. "That's not the kind of thing you say to your girlfriend!"

"Sorry..." Tidus twitched at the word "girlfriend."

The only real moment between them was when he'd confessed.

That wasn't good.

"Tidus?" Selphie snapped him out of his trance. "You okay?"

"Uh... Yeah," Tidus then got up and held out a hand for her, "You want to dance?"

Selphie grinned really wide, took his hand, and dashed for the dance area with him.

**000**

Riku and Namine had strayed off onto a part of the beach next to the ocean far enough away from the party to where they had to listen really hard to hear the music. They'd taken a walk and ended up at a small, hidden area surrounded by walls of boulders and a few small trees, where the sand was white and the ocean was surprisingly warm.

Namine was leaning against one of the boulders, gazing off into the ocean and at the black sky as Riku drew images the sand and then erased them, staring over and occasionally looking to his left at Namine; who continued not to move.

After a while, he'd bored himself and he joined her, walking up from behind and grabbing her hand, holding it him his. "What're you doing?" He asked as she laced her fingers with his, her smooth skin caressing his rough skin.

"Look." She used her other hand to point at a shooting star. "Make a wish."

"What am I supposed to wish for?" Riku asked.

"I don't know." Namine shrugged.

"How about..." Riku pondered. "How about I wish for another shooting star?"

Namine laughed at this. "That's totally pointless!"

"But it made you laugh." Riku smiled, still focusing his gaze on the sky as she looked at him.

"Wish for something else."

"Like what?"

"Like... For world peace of something."

"Pfft... Yeah, that's come true!"

"You can at least try!"

"Alright." Riku sighed. "World peace it is."

"You're not supposed to tell me."

"Then I'll wish for something else."

"Don't tell me this time."

Riku had to laugh. "You're funny, Namine."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm serious."

"Sure you are."

"Riku!"

Riku laughed again, and closed his eyes for a short moment before opening his eyes again and looking at her. "There, I made a wish." He said.

Namine remained silent as she looked at the place in the sky where she'd spotted the shooting star.

"We should head back to the hotel." Namine said after a while. "I can't believe we haven't danced once yet."

"Oh, that's right." Riku looked at her. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Namine giggled, "No need to apologize."

"You sure you don't want to stay here a little longer?" Riku asked.

Namine gave him a funny look. "Why?"

"It's peaceful here." Riku said, grabbing her other hand and lacing fingers. "I've waited all day to get to be with you, totally alone."

Namine squeezed his hands. "Oh, okay." She said softly, not so disappointed. She was actually hoping he'd want to stay. She liked the fact they were finally alone too.

"But if you don't want to-"

Namine smiled, cutting him off by letting go of one of his hands and walking towards the ocean again, feeling the cold, white sand run over her toes and feet. Riku held onto her other hand and followed her slowly, kicking off his sandals to the side so he could join Namine when she'd stood close enough to the ocean to where the waves were slowly rolling over her feet.

"You know," Riku started, "I've been thinking a lot lately."

Namine looked at him, "Hm?" She hummed.

"I just thought of something a while ago, and I wrote it down somewhere but I couldn't find it. I still remember a few parts though. Do you want to hear it?"

"What's it about?" Namine asked, facing him slightly as she looked up at him.

He didn't look at her for a moment, kind of embarrassed. "What else? It's about you. I wrote it, thinking that if you read it you'd smile."

Namine blushed, "Oh, well that's sweet. What did it say?"

"Just a bunch of random things." Riku looked REALLY embarrassed now. "Like... 'When we're together, we make the best of it, and when we're apart, I think about you constantly.'"

Namine listened to him continue, the shade of pink on her cheeks reddening.

"When I start to day dream, I dream about us, When I close my eyes, you're the first thing I see" Riku paused when he looked at Namine and their gaze locked, and nothing else excited for that moment. It was just them.

He sighed, and finished, taking a step closer to her. "And when I say I love you, I mean it."

Totally wrapped up in the moment, he wasn't thinking. What was he doing? He sounded like some super sensitive idiot!

Suddenly, thunder boomed and rain began to fall on the two hard, but they didn't move. They just stared, and stared, and started.

For what seemed like an eternity, they were oblivious to anything but themselves.

To be so wrapped up in one another was to be in heaven.

**_I'm in serious shit, I feel totally lost  
If I'm asking for help it's only because  
Being with you has opened my eyes  
Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?_**

Namine let go of his hand and reached for the side of his face, and cupped his checks in her hands, still staring into those aqua eyes of his.

She got as close as she could get, to where her chest was pressed against his and she was leaning on him.

His gaze suddenly softened, and he took her in his arms, hugging her so tightly, as if some force were trying to pull them apart. Her check brushed against his when she listen her head, and then lowered it and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Riku..." She whispered. "It's raining..."

"So?" He asked, running his fingers through her soaked hair as he unwillingly loosened his grip and looked at her.

Namine was short of breath, breathing in the cold air the rain brought and trying to see through the drops of water that fell in her face. She smiled and he smiled warmly back, creating the perfect silence.

Namine leaned in closer to his face slowly, closing her eyes half way as he gave her a look that made her heart melt, and she held her place their; inches from his face and breathing in the air he breathed out.

"Namine..." He whispered, almost too softly for her to hear.

More silence as they stood there. His arm was just lightly wrapped around her middle as his right hand fell to hold her face, shaking as their faces neared, precious inches away.

Namine's eyes closed gently and ever so slowly as she tilted her face towards his, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"I love you."

With that, his lips locked with hers and his hand spread across the side of her face, tilting her head further as his lips pressed against hers sweetly and he tightened his grip around her waist. His hand held her face in place as her lips followed his in a warm rhythm, making her heart pound out of her chest and feel like it were about to burst.

**_And I'm all mixed up, feeling cornered and rushed  
They say it's my fault but I want her so much  
Want to fly her away where the sun and rain  
Come in over my face, wash away all the shame  
When they stop and stare - don't worry me  
'Cause I'm feeling for her what she's feeling for me  
I can try to pretend, I can try to forget  
But it's driving me mad, going out of my head_**

Namine's arms around his neck clung to him so tightly she was nearly lifting herself from the ground. Anything to get herself closer to him. She wanted the kiss to last a million years.

It was so sweet, the way his lips felt against hers. She wanted it so much, just to run away to some place where it was just him and her, nobody else. She wouldn't be able to live one week away from him. There was nothing else in the world beside him that she needed.

Her fingers tangled themselves up in his damp, silver hair that stuck to his skin, water running down her arms and fingers as the rain pelted them, trying to detach them but they stayed.

Every now and then a drop of water would fall into their mouths through and opening as they continued to savor the moment, moving their lips quicker against each others lips and finding more and more ways to deepen the kiss.

Her body fit against hit perfectly, and he loved it. He still couldn't get over the feel of her body against his, smooth and soft.

He lifted his mouth from hers for a moment as she nibbled as his bottom lip and he gasped for air, moving his head against the side of hers again, and then began making trains of kissed up and down her neck and collar bone. Somehow, they'd ended up pressed against the wall of boulders.

"R-Riku..." She'd untangled her fingers from his hair and played with the clothing that stuck to the skin on his back, brushing her check against his face as he continued hissing her neck, moving his arms a little higher around her fragile frame. Her black shirt clung to her skin as her skinny jeans clung around her legs.

His levels of lust grew as his lips brushed against hers, pressing even harder and feeling the warmth of her tongue against his. His hands dug inside the pockets of her soaked jeans and he pressed her against the boulder behind them, deepening the kiss as far and as passionate as he could make it. He poured all of his energy into it.

Oh, how he wished he could ask her the question he'd been saving for weeks now. It only it was February 14th already. If he kept going, he feared he might now be able to hold it in any longer. His love for her was endless.

His hands left her jean pockets and were now cupping both of her checks, and he leaned his face further into hers and his lips moved along hers even faster. His touch was so passionate she felt she'd collapse under him and melt. She never wanted it to end.

She didn't even realize it's stopped raining for a moment.

When she'd broken away just enough for her to be able to speak, the simple yet deep words made him love her even more. "I love you, too." She whispered; leaning her forehead against his and their noses touched. Her blue eyes caught his aqua eyes again, and she gazed at him even more lovingly than she thought she was capable of.

That was just about it.

I couldn't take it anymore.

He had to ask now.

"N-Namine..." He braced himself, running his fingers smoothly through her wet, blonde hair. "Will you..." He was kissing her cheek now, whispering against her skin as his lips caressed her check.

"Hm?" Namine's arms slipped in between their bodies and she held onto his dripping shirt, her head turned slightly so she was staring into the side of his face as he kissed her.

"Ma-"

Cutting him off, there was a sudden BOOM off in the distance and it caught both their attention. The fireworks had begun and the mix of colors and sparks filled the sky and illuminated the whole Island.

Namine smiled softly, and kissed him on the lips once more in an effort to soak up all the passion he had left in him. After she'd pulled away, and the fireworks continued behind them, she looked him in the eyes. "What were you saying?" She asked.

Riku said nothing, and instead kissed her once more, hunching over slightly as she slipped against the rock and her feet sunk in the sand.

"I'll tell you later." Riku whispered in her ear after he'd pulled away and held onto her tightly.

Nothing could be more perfect.

Nothing.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** WHOOO! ;D Told ya there'd be fluff (I have more planed for Christmas later too).

Was it long enough?

I really hope so.

I used every chance I ad this week to get on the computer and work on it. So, I hope it was good!

And... REVIEW! This is important to me! 1 WHOLE FREAKING YEAR!!! How can a person stand writing the same story for a year? Uh... Lol, Me I guess. I really love writing this story, and reading about how much everyone enjoys reading what I write.

Anywayz... This is going to be quite the authors not -sweat drop- heh heh... here we go...

AWARDS!

Top reviewer:**FireFistAce!!!!**

2nd place:**Naminecrys4Riku!!!**

3rd place:**Aska-Seeker!!**

4th place:**mOOnlite-dUSk!**

CONTEST WINNER

**The winner of the contest is XFIREFISTACEX!!!!! WHOOT! So, just e-mail me (or tell me on messanger) what you want me to write for a oneshot and it's yours! Congradulations!**

REPLIES

**XxRandomness-KuNoIcHi-knFaN... **_Lol, James... James Bond. Secret love affairs? Lol, that's funny. No, Roxas and Kim don't start having "moments" for a while still. But it'll be cute, I assure you. -coughcough- if they get together. _

**mOOnlite-dUSk... **_Omg, I missed you!!! Lol, It's okay, you're here now, right:D I'm glad you think my story is getting better!!! You like RoxasxKim? haha, everyone's like "I can't wait for roxas and Kim to get together!!!" and I'm like "Yes you can!!! Give me time!" haha, thanks for the long review!!_

**Sayshello3... **_You ROLLED YOUR EYES? -dies- I really need to work harder. -sweat drop- then you squealed? haha, lol. Don't worry, no extremes. Just mega fluff XD _

**Hitman333... **_Lol, I'll send you a spoiler if you ask for one (because it's my one-year anniversary) Thanks for the review and I hope you liked the chapter!_

**hanakitsunchan7... **_Lol, I love chocolate... Jenova??? Isn't that from Final Fantasy 7? Lol, I loved that movie/game... haha, hope you liked the chapter!_

**Aska-Seeker...**_lol... the suspense... lol, that sounded like you??? LOL! I forget about things easy too. haha, join the club -roxas is accounted for- haha, yeah... Hibernation. At first, I didn't know what it was and I was like "OMG WHAT'S THIS PIECE OF CRAP DOING NOW!?" and then I was like "haha, oh... Hibernation..." _

**The Darkside Incarnate... **_sorry it's so short -looks down- I really am trying with he little time I have. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!! haha, have a great week!_

**pips12... **_No, fa'an's not quite gone YET. but he will be, for a long time at least. I have to make room for other new characters. heehee, I can't wait. I'm already working on Nammah. anywayz, thanks for the review!! have a great week!_

**Alpha Male... **_It's okay. Dang, now I really wish I would've seen that review. Sigh... well, I hope you liked the chapter!!!_

**XFireFistAceX... **_OMG. HOW LONG! Oh, by the way, You won the contest! YAY!_

**Pheonix Helix... **_Hey, thanks for the review!!! ;D_

**naminecrys4riku... **_LOL! THank you so much! haha, thanks for helping me come up with james's name!!! MERCY! MERCY! (thank you in Frech -I'm in french now-)_

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q:**Will Nami and Roxy finally get some sleep after this?** A: _Yes, much needed sleep. _

Q:**Are you gonna give me that tape or not?**A: _tape?_

Q:**What did Sora/Wakka/Tidus mean 'we all know about that stuff'?**A: _XD It means they knew about what was going on!_

Q:**so brittney isn't evil?**A: _Yep. _

Q:**who's kyle?**A: _Riku's brother. _

Q:**so when will everything come together?** A: _Drama still lurks in the gloomy distance. _

Q:**namine finding out about Kim stealing the tickets?** A: _Yeah, Namine finds out. _

Q:**Will you put Fuu, Siefer, and Rai in the story? **A: _Maybe, I'll think about it. _

Q:**Hey, how do you pronounce Fa'an's name?**A:_Faan._

Q:**Another Story 3?**A: _Short, but yes. In Another Story 3, everyone's already graduated high school. It skips a few years into the future. _

Q:**Namine's dad lied to Namine about Hawaii, did he?** A: _Yes he did. _

Q:**They're getting MARRIED?!**A: _YEP. _

Q:**where DID Fa'an go?** A: _Back to Destiny Islands, for a while. _

Q:**what's up with Kyle?**A: _STUFF... Lol._

Q:**_how could "James" do this to Namine??_** A: _Cuz he doesn't know what to do._

Q:**What does Kyle have problems with hm?**A: _You'll see. _

Q:**but is Fa'an gone for good?** A: _not yet. _

Q:**wastn namine's father DEMYX?** A: _No, he was MODLED after demyx. _

Q:**Where did you get inspired to write this story? And the other one?** A: _AHH. Finally, a real question... Where did I get inspired? Well, it started with me beating the game... and then I read a fan fic called "the skater and the artist" and "camp neon" and was like "I should write a fic too..." then I pretty much started out with no reviews, and now look where I am! WHOO!_

BOUT ME

_I've been working on a SUPRISE for everyone :D and working on my grades (my G.P.A. is 3.4)_

_Oh, and Mt heavy binder broke a desk in Socila studies. You know that little metal think under desks that hold everything? Yeah, it just... fell off... EVERYONE was looking at me cuz there was this bang from my desk and I ignored them, looking at the ceiling thinking "Please... Make them stop staring..." _

_Lol, the teacher just BUSTED OUT laughing! I had to laugh along. _

SUPRISE?

Yep, a surprise. I made a fan site about this story for everyone!!! (visit my profile to see it) it's totally dedicated to the reviewers that got me though 1 YEAR!!!!

(lets see how many times I can say "1 year" in one authors note...)

VIRGINIA TECH

If You've been watching the news lately, you'll know about the shooting in Virginia tech collage. This chew gut shot and killed 33 PEOPLE.

So, I ask you to just take a moment to remember them. When stuff like this happens, I just want to... SCREAM!!! You know? This Chow guy... He blamed most of it on being lonely (before he shot himself, of course)

Sorry to go all emo on you guys but please, talk to a few sad-looking people you don't know today. Just be like "Hey! How're you doing?" I did it today and it felt great!

Again, just take a short minute to remember those who died.

BYE!!

_Me want to go stargaze... It looks pretty outside tonight..._

OMG! Riku almost -cut off- - Cracker-Jacks000


	35. Nightmares

**A/N:** I am SO sorry I didn't have the opportunity to update last week, but something came up. Uh… Well, I'm computer less till May 20-something, so I'll have to write all the chapters up until then at school (which is no problem, really. The teachers are happy to let me stay after school and work on it :D) and then, things will be back on track and a few weeks later, I've got 3 whole months off! This means, it'll be time to spoil all of you. Write, write, write….

Anyways, before I give myself a headache, I should start the chapter –checks the clock- Uh… Yeah.

Enjoy!

**P.s.** I'll have to skip review replies for a while, and the bolding and underlining may be absent for a while too. Sorry again.

**CHAPTER 35!!!**

Kim woke up early the next morning screaming, sweat dripping off her face, and steely silver eyes wide open. She sat up for a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself, then lifted her hand to her hot forehead as if to make sure she didn't have a fever. She looked up once to examine the room with her hand still on her forehead, looking from side to side and then behind her and out the window where the sun was still absent and stars illuminated the vast sky.

Swallowing some air, she lifted her legs over the side of the golden-colored hotel bed; again taking a moment to breathe. Leaning on her side a little bit and against the wall, she gazed across the room and at a clock that read: 3:52 A.M.

She hoped to God himself that Roxas, whose room was next door, hadn't heard her scream. She laid down again, hoping there might be any sleep left in her, but found it hard to drift back to sleep because she was already so worked up and shaken. Deciding she just might need a drink of water, she hopped off the bed and slipped on a pair of plain sandals, and then left the room to the buffet and kitchen 2 floors up. Once there, she sneaked inside the kitchen and grabbed a glass cup from the cabinets, which she filled with water from the sink.

As she leaned against the wall, she'd thought about the dream she'd had that shook her so much that she couldn't sleep at this hour in the morning. She looked at the clock in the kitchen, and it was now 4:01 A.M.

She drank the water, and then set the cup neatly and quietly in the sink before heading back out into the buffet room and for the stairs (the elevator would wake everyone up). Unfortunately, though, a voice she'd hoped not to hear stopped her in her tracks before she reached the railing of the steps.

"Bad dream?"

"Go away, Roxas." Kim said in a hushed voice, signaling him to keep quiet too.

"Make me."

"I'm not in the mood," Kim glared at him, "Just leave me alone."

"Well, obviously you're not in the mood," Roxas started, "I swear, you almost broke my ear drums with that scream."

Kim ignored him and made her way to the stairs, quietly tip-toeing down to her floor with Roxas close behind.

"Y'know, if you-"

"Shut-up," She reached her door and unlocked it, stepping inside and shooting Roxas one more glared, "I don't need your help." She said before shutting the door and disappearing on the other side of the wall.

Kim took sighed as she leaned against the back of the door for one moment, knowing she left Roxas still questioning, and then she got back in bed, staring at the ceiling. She continued staring until the sun was in the middle of rising around 8:30 A.M, when she figured trying to sleep was useless. Getting up and getting dressed in more casual summer-like clothes, she brushed her hair and then left for a restaurant serving Breakfast food. She wanted to avoid Roxas in any way possible.

**000**

Olette was outside on the beach, propped between two palm trees, sitting in a hammock and writing in what seemed to be a journal. The breeze was nice; cooling and soft.

Just then, Hayner appeared behind her and jumped over the side of the hammock, so he was then sitting next to her.

"What's up?" He asked.

Olette shrugged, "Just writing."

Hayner seemed to be uninterested.

Olette then closed the notebook, setting down her pencil on top of it and she laid the book in the sand next to her feet. "You?"

Hayner scratched the back of his head and grinned, "Just thought I'd see what you were up to this time. I woke up and you weren't there."

Olette giggled for a minute, and then nudged him, "What do you think I'd be doing?"

Hayner shook his head, "I don't know! That's why I went to find you. You don't usually wake up until noon."

"Mmm." Olette hummed.

"Hey, how about we head back to the hotel and get something to eat?" Hayner suggested," It's still kinda cold out here anyways."

Olette looked at him and smiled. "Alright."

**000**

Roxas sat uneasy in his chair, leaning over the edge with his elbow on the armrest and the palm of his hand holding his head up. He tapped his foot on the floor and his eyes searched the room over and over again, waiting for you-know-who to show up.

"Hey, Roxas!" Sora waved a hand in front of his friends face, "You okay?"

"We need our idiot back on earth." Riku laughed.

"Yeah, whatever…" Roxas pushed Sora's waving hand out of his face and rolled his eyes. "I'm still here."

"What's wrong with you?" Namine asked, "You've been acting weird all morning."

Roxas ignored her and sat up straight, staring down at the breakfast food put in front of him.

"Let me guess, you're not hungry ether?" Tidus joked, trying not to laugh.

"Hm…" Roxas hummed, continuing to stare.

"If you won't eat it," Selphie said, sitting next to Namine, "I will."

"Selphie, your stomach has a timer." Namine giggled. "You just ate not too long ago."

"Goes off every hour, ya?" Wakka added.

While Selphie pretended to be offended, Riku and Sora continued watching Roxas stare at his plate.

"Seriously," Riku started, pushing Roxas's arm, "What's wrong?"

"Hn…"

Sora rolled his eyes.

"Kim?" Hayner asked, suddenly appearing behind them.

"No." Roxas lied.

Sora got up then, patted Roxas on the shoulder, and headed towards an elevator, "I have to go," he declared, "Kairi's probably wondering where I am by now."

Riku nodded at him, and then focused his attention on Roxas again, "Just having a bad day?" Riku asked.

Roxas nodded. "That's exactly it."

"That kinda makes sense," Wakka joined the conversation, "We've all been having bad days lately, ya?"

The thought of Namine and her dad then, for some reason, popped into Riku's head just then. Oh boy, had he tried to forget about what Namine's dad had told him but he couldn't shake the idea from his mind. He felt bad for Namine, but oddly relieved she didn't know yet. Once she'd finally figure it out, he'd never hear the end of it.

His glanced at Namine for a moment, and then turned his head back towards Roxas's direction. Now wasn't the time to worry about it; he had other concerns at the moment.

Roxas then got up and was now standing on his two feet, pushing his plate across the table to Selphie and grabbing Tidus's blitz ball, "Come on, maybe some blitz ball will cheer me up."

Tidus then began to laugh hysterically, and he grabbed Wakka, then the three were off for the beach. Just as they left, Kyle appeared from the stairs and walked over to the table, taking a seat in the chair next to Riku.

"Hey, what's up?" Riku asked, noticing the bags under his brother's eyes and the tired expression he gave.

"Ah, man…" Kyle raked his hand down his face and stretched his legs. "I got zero sleep last night."

"Oh." Was all Riku said when he saw his brother had caught the attention of everyone at his table (Namine, Selphie, and Hayner).

Namine gave Riku and questioning look and Riku shrugged his shoulders, not willing to tell Namine what happened yet. Kyle had to do that himself.

"You look even worse than Roxas," Hayner pointed, and in return was elbowed in the side by Selphie who gave him a 'what-was-that?' look.

Kyle laughed at Selphie and waved his hands around, "No, that's alright. I'll be fine."

While Hayner rubbed his side and shot Selphie death glares, Namine had turned her chair to face Riku and his brother. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Kyle rubbed his forehead. "Just thinking too much." He replied.

Riku gave him a look and Kyle nodded, accepting that Riku just totally read his mind.

"Do you mind if I take him for a while?" Kyle asked, pointing at Riku's head.

Namine shrugged. "I don't care."

"Thanks." Kyle grinned weakly and pulled Riku aside so that they were out of sight, and nobody could hear them.

"So it'd that, huh?" Was the first thing to come out of Riku's mouth.

Kyle sat down, leaning against the wall and Riku joined him. "Yeah, for some reason I feel even worse about it."

"It's not your fault."

"In a weird sort of way, it is."

"Not really."

"You don't get it," Kyle sighed, "I egged them to come."

"But you didn't make them drink."

"Well, it's just kind of obvious they'd drink at a club."

"At least you didn't get hurt."

"I could've," Kyle paused for a minute, "and I could've been put in jail for a long time too."

"But it didn't happen."

"It will next time."

"Then quit going out."

"Easier said than done."

"Look," Riku started, "If you're going to-"

"Alright, alright. I'll listen." Kyle tried to ease up, and he took a deep breath.

"You can go back and visit them in the hospital, if you want. You only seem even more miserable here." Riku suggested.

"I guess." Kyle tried to agree.

"What's there to lose? They're already in big trouble, why not help them out?" Riku looked ahead, instead of at Kyle. "I mean, if I were you, I would."

"Whatever you say little brother," Kyle grunted, "I'll book a flight tomorrow."

Riku grinned for a second than got up, helping his brother up at the same time.

"Should I say something to your friends?" Kyle asked. "I kind of just showed up without reason. They're probably confused."

"You don't have to, it's not like they'll die if they don't know what's going on." Riku said as they walked back into the buffet room, where Hayner, Selphie, and Namine were waiting.

"At least tell Namine for me," Kyle scratched the back of his head, "This IS her vacation, I kinda feel bad for just showing up."

"Yeah, I'll explain it to her." Riku gave Kyle a thumbs up before Kyle exited to the elevator, most likely headed for a phone in the lobby.

"What was that all about?" Namine asked, already finished eating.

"I'll tell you later, when we're alone." Riku smiled at her, and she gave a sympathetic look back.

"Everything's alright?" Namine questioned.

Riku sat next to her and ignored the questioning looks from Selphie and Hayner.

"For the most part." Riku told.

Namine smiled at him, and then looked at Selphie. "I'm finished, so Riku and I are probably going into town for a while, so, I'll see you later."

Selphie laughed and nodded (Hayner continued to scratch his head, confused) and Namine and Riku left for town after stopping by their room so Namine could grab the other half of her spending money. She had some Christmas shopping to do.

**000**

A while later, about 9:00 P.M, Riku and Namine had shown back up at the hotel for a short period of time before leaving with Sora and Kairi to the beach. Roxas had given up on blitz ball, and began looking for Kim, asking himself why he even cared in the first place. He was still uneasy about her whole situation, he guessed. Pence and Hayner took the time to take a few pictures of the Island and Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were eating dinner late. Olette enjoyed the sunset from her room and Kyle was too busy booking a flight. Kim was still no where to be found.

Although things lightened up for a while, this whole trip seemed to be falling apart.

God knows it would only get worse.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N:** Phew… I actually got something done… In school! Well, another thing to tell everyone is that, until the end of May, my updates won't be regular. They'll just… Pop out of nowhere if I manage to finish between school (which is proving to be quite easy).

So, Review!!! And I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter and some of the chapters they'd missed, (even that nasty little "something-murderer girl) so have a great rest-of-the-week!! See you next time I'm homework-less!

I had to spend all of last night re-growing my soul, Mrs. Peil ripped it out –Cracker-Jacks000


	36. Dance with me

**A/N: **Thank you VERY much to the few people who did take the time to review. That would be **sayshello3, hanakitsunchan7, hitman33333, naminecrys4riku, The Darkside incarnate, XFireFistAceX, **and **Alpha Male. **

I'm boiling right now. For some reason, everyone's just "disappeared." (The people who reviewed may skip this) How in the hell did my reviews drop from over 13 a chapter to under 8 (the minimum). This almost made me turn away from the computer and say "Nope, I'm not updating till July."

WHY in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD should I stay late at school for 2 hours Monday through Thursday, and come in early in the morning just to work on a chapter hardly anyone's going to read (or review . )? Yeah, and I stayed up all night last night mapping out my chapters all the way up to chapter 50 too, just so I'd keep everyone interesting and never have to come up with some lame idea off the top of my head. (Again, those who _did_ read and review, you can skip this because I'm TOTALLY not talking to you).

Don't expect this chapter to be very long. I felt bad about the last chapter being so short, and was going to try and make this chapter twice as long (around 5,000 words) but I'll just save that idea until I'm guarantied everyone's gonna read it.

**P.s.** Kim (the real one) even thinks that's disappointing. She told me to punish everyone with a chapter that's only two paragraphs long, and then not update for 2 weeks. But I'm awful at being mean compared to her. (Lol, Kim. I'm not _that _mad.)

**Chapter 36 **

_(Kim laughing at me right now XD) _

The next day, two days before Christmas and the wedding.

Riku decided to take Namine into town for lunch and tell her about his brother's issue there. Once they found a place to eat, Namine somehow convinced Riku to get a salad with her. They sat at a table next to a window with a view of the rest of the town. Not too many people sat at the tables around the two, so it was the perfect place for Riku to explain.

Riku sat across from Namine at a tiny table and they were silent for a long period of time until Riku spoke up.

"You have to promise not to tell Kairi or Olette, anyone. Kyle would _kill_ me." Riku told, still a little uneasy about the whole situation.

"I'm still surprised he's even letting you tell me." Namine said before taking a bite of her salad.

"I'd tell you anyways," Riku chuckled under his breath.

"So, what's his problem?" Namine asked.

"Jeez," Riku sighed. "I don't even know where to start."

Namine smiled at him, setting her fork on the table and crossing her arms on the wood. "Just start from the beginning."

"Alright." Riku put on a serious face, and then took a deep breath. "It may take a while."

"I've got all day." Namine assured.

"Well, it began with a call from one of Kyle's friends. Kyle told me about how they kept repeating themselves about a party they were going to at a club in Twighlight Town. So Kyle convinced his other friends to go with him and they took his car all the way there." Riku paused for a minute, looking outside of the window.

"Continue." Namine was already worried. "I'm listening."

"Well," Riku looked at her, "They stayed at the party and danced and drank and flirted, and all the other stuff, until finally my brothers friends, all of them, are totally wasted 5 hours later. Kyle's okay, he's smarter than them I guess, or that's what he said, but he told his friends he wasn't driving them home to watch them throw up all over the place, because it was their own fault they were so messed up in the first place and they'd pay for their own mistakes. So, he got in his car and left while his friends got in another car and headed off in the opposite direction. Turns out, the police showed up at the party and arrested half the people still there."

"You're kidding." Namine took the short silence to let all the information sink in. By now, the couple was walking around town again.

"So, Kyle and his friends escaped being put in jail." Riku tried not to sound angry or unset, but more serious. "That's only about half of the story. Halfway through the drive back home, a car comes flying out of nowhere and at him three times the speed limit, and the two cars collided. Before Kyle knows it, or has time to react, his car's upside down and on fire with him in it. He crawled out a broken window and got away in time enough before the fire got to the gas tank and everything just blew up. Half hour later, he's being rushed to the hospital but they let him out an hour later because, thankfully, he's got no serious injuries."

"That's relieving," Namine sighed, holding her hand to her chest, "What about the people in the other car?"

"The people in the other car were Kyle's friends."

Namine almost fell to the ground and gagged right there. She held her hand up to her mouth and tried not to choke on her own air_. "Are they okay?"_

"That's the thing." Riku sat on a bench in the park they'd walked into, waiting for Namine to sit next to him. "One of the five's arms are broken, two are way okay, but _seriously_ messed up in the head, and the other's on the verge of dying because his injuries were that bad."

"That's horrible!" Namine looked like the story was a little too much for her. "Where's Kyle now?"

"He left for the airport this morning. He's going back home to help his friends through it, I guess." Riku told.

"Is he going to be okay?" Namine questioned.

"Yeah," Riku smiled at her, or, tried to smile. "He's tough."

"Wow…" Namine looked ahead of her and just stared off into space for a minute, this blank expression on her face. Finally, she turned to him. "You didn't want to go with him?"

"He wouldn't let me, even if I tried." Riku shrugged. "Besides, I'd rather stay here in Hawaii with you."

"Riku…" Namine had to laugh, and shoved all of the other issues and problems aside for the moment. "You're making me laugh."

"Good." Riku gave her kind of a half-smile. "At least one of use is laughing."

Namine bit her bottom lip and looked at him. "I think we should go do something fun. We both need a vacation from our vacation."

Riku laughed, and then gave Namine a look that made her laugh even more than he was. "Alright. Where to?"

"This way!" Namine grabbed his hand and she dragged him over to a flat, tiled around with a few other people dancing to the music played by a regular, everyday street band.

Namine stood in front of him, waiting and waiting while he stared at her with a confused expression on his face. She gave him a look and giggled, then stepped closer until her chest was pressed against his and she wrapped her arms around his next. "Dance with me," she giggled in his ear.

Riku was a bit nervous at first but he went with it, and Namine seemed to be enjoying herself. Once Riku got past the fact a lot of people were watching them, he began to enjoy it too. He didn't have very much experience with dancing, of any kind, but Namine pretty much lead the way and made it easy on him. Although he felt a little pathetic with Namine in the lead, he got over it and they laughed a few well earned laughs.

For a minute, Riku could forget about the constant reminders of James's wedding that wouldn't leave him alone.

**000 **

Kim relaxed, completely comfortable in the chair she'd sat down in next to a window in her room with a view of the beach. She pulled out that book Roxas would make fun of whenever he saw it (the "German" book") and she opened the book to the page she was on and began reading again, turning the pages as she went and reading away the hours until it was around 5:00 P.M.

Just as she was about to finish the whole book, finally, her cell phone began to ring. She set the book down on the table next to her and reached into her pocket, pulling out a little black cell phone and she flipped it open, holding it up to her face.

"Hello?" She answered, leaning back into her chair again.

_"So you're still there, huh?"_

Kim looked disgusted with the voice on the other line. "Oh, leave me alone Fa'an."

For a while Fa'an said nothing, and Kim took the chance to warn him.

"I'm hanging up." She told, but before she pressed the button he stopped her.

_"I'm still not finished with you." _

"Yeah, well, I am." Kim rolled her eyes. He liked to repeat himself.

_"Have fun with that Roxas kid while you're there. I'm not finished with **him** ether." _

"Leave him out of it! This isn't his problem."

_"Sounds like you have a thing for him." _

"Fa'an!" Kim had about all she could take. First he calls her and threatens her, and then he teases her about some boy. "Go screw yourself and leave me the hell alone." She said before hanging up the phone. _I do NOT like Roxas… _She huffed in her head, and then she reached for her book again.

**000 **

"So ends another day in Hawaii," Selphie sighed, "When we leave, I'm really going to miss all the Hawaiian food."

Tidus rolled his eyes, "We've got plenty of Hawaiian food back home."

"But it's not REALLY Hawaiian, it's like-"

"We've got Hawaiian pizza," Wakka chuckled.

"That doesn't count," Selphie huffed at him.

Wakka leaned back in his seat, stretching his feet farther across the wooden floor, ignoring Selphie when Riku and Sora joined the trio.

"Hey," Sora waved a hand before sitting in-between Wakka and Tidus, "What's up?"

"I'm_ trying_ to explain to Selphie-"Tidus cut himself off when Selphie glared at him. "Never mind."

"There's still three days left, after today." Wakka reminded. "We've still got_ lots_ of time left, ya?"

"Kinda." Sora relaxed. "I mean, I wouldn't mind another week. This vacation's going by a little too fast for me."

"So…" Tidus rested his feet on the small table in front of him, looking to change the subject. He turned to Riku. "What have you and Namine been doing? This is the first time I've seen you all day."

"We went to get something to eat for lunch, and then…" Riku stopped himself. The last thing he needed was an earful of laughter, but, what the heak? "And then we danced with a few other people in town. There was a small band playing, it was okay."

"Cool," Sora looked up and grinned, "Sounds like fun."

Riku took a deep breath. Nobody seemed to really care. "What about you and Kairi?"

"Kairi?" Sora pondered a bit. "Oh, she went off with Olette today. Haven't seen her since this morning."

"How about we find everyone and go out into town for dinner?" Selphie suggested. "I found a really yummy fish place today."

"Fish?" Tidus made a face.

Selphie glared at him a second time.

"Come on! _Fish_?" Tidus ignored her threat.

"Sounds great." Sora and Wakka rolled their eyes.

"I'll find Namine and Roxas." Riku said before leaving. "I'll meet you all outside of the hotel in five minutes."

"I'm pretty sure Kairi and Olette are back by now." Sora said, waving before he left.

"We've got Pence and Hayner!" Tidus and Selphie exited next.

"I'll find whoever's left…" Wakka scratched the back of his head and sighed.

_A half hour later, at the " Fish Place." _

"I want bass." Selphie pointed at her menu when the waitress came around to their table. "And… Salmon and trout…."

"Everything on the menu." Hayner laughed. "She wants everything on the menu."

"The trout sounds delicious." Namine smiled.

"Just bring me whatever." Riku made it difficult for the nurse. He didn't really feel like eating.

Once everyone was done ordering, they sat and talked and Selphie laughed at everything. Sora flirted with Kairi the most of the wait, as usual and Namine explained to Riku what the problem was with telling the waitress to just "bring him anything." Pence took pictures for memories and Hayner and Roxas were telling all the jokes, laughing loudly and obnoxiously together, getting some un-needed attention from the others in the restaurant.

Their meal showed up about another half hour later, and once everyone was finished, Pence was the unlucky one that had to pay for shoving the camera in everyone's faces, plus, he had all the money at the moment.

They showed up at the hotel again late, because they all took the time to watch the sun set and goof around on the beach for a few hours before they headed back.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and the next day was Christmas. Everyone but Riku was in a good mood about it. Every time he even heard the word "Christmas" he wanted to fall over and start gagging. He began to start disliking Namine's father, although he kept it to himself and ignored his sick feelings. Why oh Why was the wedding on Christmas…?

**+To Be Continued+ **

**A/N: **WHOOT. Just t let everyone know, Hawaii ends in chapter 39. I know, pretty soon.

I'm still a little upset, but I'll get over it. It's not like I can reach through he computer screen and MAKE everyone review (or can I?) that's just up to everyone else. Which also means it's kind of up to you on my inspiration level and how long I'll be willing to spend at school to write chapters (less time, shorter chapter. More time, longer chapter.)

Well, I'll be going. No awards/ replies again. SORRY! –cries-)

There are worse things in life than death... Have you ever spent an evening with an Insurance Salesman? – Cracker-Jacks000 (lol) 


	37. That was interesting

**A/N: **WHOOT. I've got my computer back (haha, I got it back early!). Which means my chapters can be a little less rushed finally. Well, like I said in the last chapter, Hawaii ends in Chapter 39 (I made a chapter map for me up to chapter 50- I'll do the others later) and in chapter 50, they leave for the Bahamas (the Bahamas is the better vacation).

Still a little ticked about chapter 35 But I'm over it because guess what!? You're all back. Haha, I guess that's what happens when I make the chapters short. I'll keep it in mind.

Good news: The chapter's not super short.

Well, enjoy! This is Volume-5's "good-bye" chapter because she's leaving. Everyone wave and say "GOOD-BYE!!!!"

P.s. :3 I'll try to make it longer, and not so short.

Replies, awards, and questions at the bottom :D

**P.S.S. **Be prepared for more drama –snicker-

**CHAPTER 37 **

**_A while later, about 9:00 P.M, Riku and Namine had shown back up at the hotel for a short period of time before leaving with Sora and Kairi to the beach. Roxas had given up on blitz ball, and began looking for Kim, asking himself why he even cared in the first place. He was still uneasy about her whole situation, he guessed. Pence and Hayner took the time to take a few pictures of the Island and Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were eating dinner late. Olette enjoyed the sunset from her room and Kyle was too busy booking a flight. Kim was still no where to be found. _**

**_Although things lightened up for a while, this whole trip seemed to be falling apart. _**

**_God knows it would only get worse. _**

Kairi was up early in the morning, dancing around the seemingly empty hotel building by herself, humming as she went along on a pathway all the way up to the top level of the hotel, traveling by stairs (ouch!) She didn't mind the leg workout, she was too determined to get to her destination; the roof. Olette, Namine, and Selphie were to meet her there, and they'd better show up. She was awake, wasn't she?

Kairi hurried up another filet of stairs until she reached a dark hallway. She turned on all of the lights and sprinted down the hallway, skidding on her heels as she came to a halt in front of a door. She opened it, raced up the old, cement stairs, and opened another door and there she was. On the roof of a eleven story building.

She stood still for a moment, not breathing. Her breath had been taken right from her, the air was swept out of her lungs.

Breathless. That's what she was. Breathless.

What made her this way was the view. Usually, she was afraid of heights but the fear had spaced from her mind when her eyes came upon the horizon overlooking the vast ocean. The sky was still dark, but not as dark as a few hours ago when she'd been sleeping. The sun was not visible yet, but would be in about a half hour. She tiptoed to the edge of the flat area, the ends of her sandals almost literally handing off the side. She drew in a deep breath, and exhaled, taking in the sweet sent of Hawaii.

The stars became more and more less visible as the sky turned from black t dark blue, readying for day.

Just as Kairi was most relaxed, a sharp voice from behind snapped her out of her trance.

"Kai_ri_!"

Spinning around, almost falling off the end of the building, she re-gained her composure.

"There you are," Selphie pointed an accusing finger, "We looked _everywhere_!"

"I've been right here the whole time!" Kairi defended herself.

Namine laughed. "We were just waiting on the other end of the building, that's all."

"At least you're not sleeping," Kairi giggled, sitting down and letting her feet hang off the end of the building, "I thought you all might still be sleeping."

"I wish." Selphie huffed, sitting down next to Kairi, followed by Namine and Olette. "I forgot why you wanted us up so early in the first place."

"Because," Kairi started, "It's Christmas Eve!! We _have to_ watch the sun rise on Christmas Eve!"

"Couldn't we just watch the sun _set_ instead?" Selphie still complained, despite Olette's nudging.

_"No!" _Kairi fussed.

"Well, we're all here." Namine stretched her arms and leaned back. "Let's just relax."

Olette hummed, and then gazed off into the distance. The brilliance in front of her. Heaven in the making.

The day started off wonderful (if you don't count Selphie XD) after the sunrise, Selphie and Olette went back to their rooms for a few more hour of sleep while Kairi and Namine ate breakfast early with Roxas and Hayner; who'd also gotten up early but for a different reason.

"You got up at 5 A.M. to watch the sun rise?" Roxas seemed disgusted. "Sounds boring."

"No, getting up at 6 A.M. in the morning to play Blitz Ball sounds boring." Namine made a face.

"Don't mock me." Roxas shook his head.

"Where'd Selphie and Olette go? There were with you, right?" Hayner asked.

"They went back to their rooms." Kairi told. "Needed more sleep, I guess."

Roxas played with the pancakes on his plate, drizzling syrup everywhere. "I still have to find a way to get everyone Christmas presents." Roxas sighed. "I hate shopping."

"It's already Christmas Eve?" Hayner questioned. "Man, time flies."

"Give me the syrup." Kairi commanded, yanking the bottle from Roxas's hand. Roxas stuck his tongue out.

"You could say "Please." Roxas picked up a fork and stuffed a whole pancake in his mouth. (A/N: Gasp.)

"Have you seen Riku?" Namine asked, turning to Roxas and Hayner. "I woke up and he wasn't there. He doesn't usually get up before 5 A.M."

"Said something about heading into town to buy a few last minute gifts." Roxas said with a mouthful. "I wouldn't expect to see him back before noon."

"Mmm." Namine hummed; a little concerned that Riku never told her he'd be gone today. On Christmas Eve.

"The chocolate muffins are _mine_!" Selphie warned, suddenly appearing from the large doors and hurling herself at the breakfast table.

Namine laughed and then turned to Kairi, trying her best to ignore Selphie when she pouted about there being no muffins. "You should come Christmas shopping with me today."

Kairi shrugged. "Okay."

Selphie sat next to Kairi with a plate of donuts replacing a plate of muffins. "I wanna come!" She begged.

Namine smiled. "Why not?"

"Didn't you already finish shopping yesterday?" Olette asked.

"Yeah, but I've got nothing better to do." Selphie told.

"Can we change the subject?" Roxas asked, looking quite bored.

Hayner laughed at him. "We should leave and go get some more blitz ball practice."

"Hn." Roxas grunted. "Oddly, I don't want to."

"Oh." Hayner sounded disappointed.

Selphie's face suddenly lit up and she looked at Roxas, giggling. "I heard you liked Kim."

"Do _not."_ Roxas looked as though he were about to barf. "I'd rather jump off a cliff into a boiling pot of oil."

"Ouch." Hayner laughed. "Burn!"

"That's mean." Kairi huffed.

Namine looked just as sick as Roxas did. "I wish she'd just die." Namine mumbled.

"At least she's left you alone the whole trip." Kairi smiled. "Kinda."

"So far." Namine shook her head. "What was that you said earlier about Kim, Roxas?"

"Oh, about staying away from her?" Roxas was suddenly uneasy.

"Yeah."

"Um, about that…" Roxas scratched the back of his head. "Uh… It doesn't matter."

Namine gave him a face.

"I mean, you wouldn't be interested."

"Interested in _what?" _

"Nothing."

"Just say it."

"I don't want to."

"What?"

Just then, Kim entered the room and took an un-welcomed seat next to Roxas. "You mean you don't want to tell Namine you gave me those tickets?"

"You did _WHAT?!"_ Namine roared.

"No- I... I didn't give them to her! I lost them, sort of." Roxas used his arms and hands to defend himself, in case Namine was angry enough to attack. Kim was having a field day.

"Oh, you didn't tell her?" Kim laughed at Roxas. "You were just _begging_ me to come along."

"No I wasn't!" Roxas ignored Namine for a second, despite her growing rage, and turned to Kim. "You stole them and wouldn't give them back!"

"If she stole them, then where'd the money you gave me come from?" Namine was getting even louder as she stood up, hovering over Roxas.

"Uh, yeah. You see, I kind of sold all of my skateboards to make up for the money." Roxas confessed.

Namine's features lightened, but just a little. She was still unbelievably angry with Roxas. Kim continued to laugh, nearly falling from her seat.

"I-I'm sorry!" Roxas tried to calm her. "I didn't mean it, I really didn't!"

Kairi put a hand on Namine's shoulder and smiled at her.

While Namine was distracted, Hayner leaned over to Roxas and whispered, "You should probably leave, while you have the chance."

Roxas immediately shot up and he was gone before Namine had the chance to turn around and blink.

"Oh…" Namine sighed, sitting down again. "That explains a lot." She looked to her side but Kim had also left.

"Don't be mad at him," Hayner leaned back in his chair and laughed. "He's just being… Himself."

Namine laughed. "I can't believe he sold his skateboards! He must've _really_ not wanted me to find out."

"You bet."

"Well, Kairi and I should go now. I still need to buy a few things." Namine told.

"Bye!" Kairi waved as she left with Namine.

Selphie and Hayner just sat there for a while.

"Well," Selphie was clueless, "That was interesting."

**000 **

Namine and Kairi wandered around for hours, until finally they found a shop that had the things they were looking for.

They stepped into the rather quiet shop, admiring a few things on shelves before they asked the person up front about where everything was. He showed them around and then they bought a few things. Namine bought Selphie's gift, laughing about how Selphie had forgotten to go with them, and she bought Sora's present and a few others, and then a couple of new, fantastic looking blitz balls for Tidus and Wakka.

Once they left, they wandered around for a while, admiring the scenery and buying a few flower necklaces, made with freshly picked flowers.

"This smells wonderful." Kairi gawked, smelling the necklace of flowers as they walked along a near-empty path and into another shop.

Namine admired a few of the things in the shop before they left. "I keep forgetting how beautiful Hawaii is." Namine sighed.

"That's because you and Riku are too distracted." Kairi giggled.

"Shut-up." Namine laughed, nudging Kairi.

"Riku," Namine was still laughing, "I wonder what he got me for Christmas."

"I wonder what Sora got me."

The two girls giggled.

"Wow, everyone in Destiny Islands are having a white Christmas, and here we are- in the sunshine!" Kairi spin around, almost losing her grip on one of the shopping bags.

"Lucky us." Namine sighed gratefully. "This'll be my first non-white Christmas."

"The Destiny Islands are weird," Kairi shook her head, "since when does it snow on a tropical Island?"

Namine shrugged.

"You used to live in traverse town, right?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah," Namine said, "I hate that place."

"Oh... Why? I've been there before, it doesn't seem that bad." Kairi told.

"I just don't like it there." Namine shook her head.

"So..." Kairi swung her shopping bags around. "They're going to have fireworks on Christmas."

"Again? They had fire works just a few days ago." Namine tried not to blush, thinking back to that night.

"Yeah," Kairi spun around, "Wasn't it lucky that it stopped raining just in time?"

"Oh, yeah it was." Namine smiled, then laughed.

"Oh, I was going to ask. I didn't see you when they went off. Where were you?" Kairi questioned.

"Oh, I was -uh." Namine stopped stuttering to laugh. "Just wandered off a ways."

"I see." Kairi giggled. "With Riku?"

Namine smiled at Kairi, "Yes, with Riku."

"Someone say my name?" Riku asked, showing up out of nowhere from the side, nudging Namine and laughing.

"There you are!" Namine huffed. "You could have told me you were leaving."

"Sorry." Riku laughed more.

"It's not funny!"

"Again, sorry." Riku smiled, hushing himself.

"We were just heading back to the hotel." Kairi informed. "Wanna join us?"

Riku shrugged, grinning at Kairi. "Sure. I was heading back too anyways."

As they walked back to the hotel, Namine quickly rushed though another store to buy one last present and some wrapping paper and then they arrived back and went separate ways; Kairi left for the beach with Sora and Riku and Namine left to their room.

"So, what'd you get me?" Riku asked after he shut the door to their room after they entered. He leaned over to look over her shoulder but she spun around and hid the shopping bags behind her back.

"Not telling." Namine giggled.

"Take the fun out of it!" Riku laughed, and then walked past her to set a few of his bags under the bed. "I guess I won't tell you what I got you ether."

Namine shook her head at him. "How about a peak?"

"Nope." Riku looked back at her; amused by the way she threw her bags into the closet and marched his way.

Namine laughed at Riku and then sat down on the bed next to him, stretching her legs and sighing. "I'm so tired. I've been walking all over the place all day. My feet hurt."

Riku got up from the floor and sat next to her, facing her direction with his back against the edge of the window just above their bed. "I'm not going to massage them, if that's what you're asking." He chuckled.

"Suit yourself." Namine giggled. She let her back hit the bed and she rested her head on Riku's stomach, sighing and turning to look up at him. "We're leaving in two days..."

"But then, if we win the blitz ball game, we get to go to the Bahamas." Riku smiled, and she laughed at him.

"But you'll be playing blitz ball the whole time." Namine pointed out.

"Not the whole time," Riku's features softened and he ran his fingers through her blonde hair, "There's before the game... And after the game... And at-"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Namine lifted herself up as Riku jumped off the bed to answer the door. She sighed and watched him turn the door knob. It was Roxas.

"Hey." Riku greeted, and Roxas invited himself in.

"What do you want, Roxas?" Namine asked, a bit frustrated.

Riku left the door open and stood across from Roxas, followed by Namine.

"It's about--" He stopped himself when Namine gave him a face. "A person..." he looked at Riku."I have to tell Riku something."

Namine urged for him to continue.

"Alone."

"Fine," Namine left the room. "I'm hungry anyways. I'll see you upstairs, Riku." With that she was gone.

"What is it?" Riku asked as he watched Roxas peak out into the hallway to make sure no one was coming.

"It's about James."

Riku's stomach dropped. For a split second in time, he couldn't breathe. He was almost too afraid to ask. "What about him?"

"He's going tell Namine that he's marrying Brittany tomorrow!" Roxas informed.

"Wait, how do you kn-" Riku stopped himself. "He's telling her? When?" He almost lost control of his balance.

"He's looking for her right now!" Roxas said, and the look on Riku's face made him shutter.

"N-now?" Riku began to panic, stuttering as he talked. "A-as in, right n-n-now?"

"Yes!" Roxas repeated.

"Oh shit..." Riku made his way haste fully to the door, reaching out towards the hallway.

Why wasn't he relived James was _actually _going to step up and say something (even though the wedding was tomorrow)? Why was the air so sour? How come his heart was racing the way it was, nearly about to burst? He hated it when he did things like this; he tells James to say something and now he's trying to stop him.

He was about to dash off in the direction Namine left to but was stopped by James, who entered the room looking as upset as ever. He didn't look so cheerful ether.

"Where's Namine?" James asked, the tone in his voice almost sounded desperate. He searched about the room with haste, looking in places he very well knew she wouldn't be. But he looked anyways.

Riku didn't answer him.

Instead, he made a break for it and ran, and ran, _and ran. _

While he did so, not looking back to see if James was following him, or if Roxas was, he thought up a list of places to check where Namine might be. He also made a list of places to take her and hide, although he still couldn't understand why he wanted to _hide_ in the first place.

But that didn't matter right at this moment. What mattered was Namine.

He had to find her before James did.

**000**

Sora, confused as ever, watched as Roxas exploded in front of him. He just _wouldn't _stop talking. _This and that, that and this._ Roxas was talking so fast, Sora could hardly understand the jumbled up words that came from Roxas's mouth. What he did know though, obviously, Roxas wasn't exactly calm. He couldn't sit, and he paced around as he told Sora the longest story he'd ever heard, starting with something to do about working, and then lead onto their arrival at Hawaii and so on. Sora was surprised he could keep up with everything.

"And-and then!" Roxas was panting, quite out of breath. He'd hardly given himself a chance to breathe.

"Calm down." Sora stood up from his seat, only to pat Roxas's shoulder. "Whatever you're getting at, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"No, you don't understand!" Roxas was almost yelling, his levels of panic rising. "James is-" He chocked on the air for a second, and Sora gave him a face.

Sora wished he knew what was going on. Riku, who he's seen dashing off to the beach without waving back when Sora's called his name, seemed even more distressed than Roxas, which was surprising.

"Continue." Sora sighed, trying not to take his frustration out on Roxas's face. By now, he'd had a headache from listening to him.

"On Christmas," Roxas had slowed down enough to make sure Sora would catch it, "James and Brittany are getting married, and Namine has no idea."

"_WHAT?!_"

**000 **

Within the next ten minutes, Sora's managed to tell anyone and everyone he knew, with the help of Roxas, who followed him wherever he went. This long list of people included Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Pence, Hayner, Olette, Kairi, Kim, and even the employee at the desk in the hotel lobby.

Oh my gasp, they were all in for it. They all knew how much Namine despised that woman she named "that _thing_" and James was marrying her. Tomorrow. After only a few months into the relationship. _Without telling Namine_. His _daughter._

They made their own search party, even though it might've been the lamest thing they've ever done. The smart thing would've been to stay out of it, but Roxas convinced that Riku, wherever he was, was doing the same thing. Selphie, Olette, and Kairi searched one half of the beach as far as they could see while Hayner and Pence searched the other side. Wakka and Tidus went into town to search, and Sora and Roxas stayed in the hotel; in case she might show up. She'd said something about getting something to eat at the buffet but she wasn't there. _Blast. _

Kim, being the bitch she was, laughed and didn't care, and then went back to whatever she was doing before. The employee at the desk in the lobby just looked confused for the remainder of the hour.

For some reason, the search felt like a race. They knew it was literally a 1 to 10 chance of James finding Namine first, but they didn't slow down at all. What they were going to do with Namine when they actually did find her, _no clue_. But they searched anyway. Anything to prevent Namine's feelings from being crushed and the rest of their vacation from exploding into a million little pieces, not to mention Christmas.

They knew it would be smart to _hurry._

**000 **

James didn't know anywhere else to look. He thought that asking Riku'd be a good idea, but Riku'd left him in the dust. _Teenagers _and their weird ways of doing things.

Maybe Riku knew? _Nah._ Riku told him to fess up in the first place. Explaining his situation to one of Namine's friends, Roxas, didn't turn out to be such a good idea ether. Roxas looked like he'd just been hit by a car after he explained and then did the same thing Riku did. _Run._

What in the world was the matter? All he was going to do was…

_Oh,_ Right.

**That's **what he was doing. He was going to; somehow, explain to Namine that he was getting married to Brittany tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

That little detail hit hard. Maybe if he'd told Namine, oh, say, after he'd actually proposed or told Namine when he'd met Brittany, he wouldn't be in this mess. This Big, overdramatic, headache causing mess.

There were three paths Namine could fall into after he confesses.

Number 1; She could be sent into a spiraling depression and not come out of it for weeks, hating everything and not wanting to talk to anyone. Namine's dad was saddened by this "passable" outcome.

Number 2; She could never talk to him again, maybe run away with that boyfriend of hers. Even worse, she could hate Brittany even more, who was _already _upset with him and this whole thing could fall apart.

Number 3; the "possible" outcome James was hoping would happen. Namine would be upset, but understand and maybe, passably, if he was lucky, accept Brittany as her second mom, and everything would be alright. No mass destruction.

He had to think of another place to look. _Think think think! _Was there someplace Namine had mentioned to him before? She'd talked to him calmly for the first time on this vacation just recently… Oh, that's right! She'd mentioned this restaurant! Oh, but there was a shop she'd mentioned too… No matter, he'd just have to check both.

**000 **

There were two places left to search. The quiet little Hawaiian restaurant next to the beach, and Namine's favorite store, the one with that ring he still remembered. Riku chose to check the store first, considering she _still _had the money from Roxas's skateboards.

Unfortunately, on his way to the shop, James had passed him and they exchanged looks, and Riku knew where James was headed, and James knew where Riku was headed. This was it, now. There was a 50/50 chance. He hoped to god that Namine was at the shop, and not at the restaurant, because if she was at the restaurant, James wins. Namine's heartbroken.

And he's left to pick up the pieces.

He sighed in relief when he'd entered the little shop to find a girl, Namine's height, with long, beautiful blonde hair with her back to him.

He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Thank _god_ I found you." He said, much out of breath.

He was surprised when the girl turned around and it wasn't Namine.

"I'm sorry," She said, "Who're you?"

Riku felt as though the world had just collapsed.

**000 **

Namine fiddled with her food, poking the bread with her fork while she rested her head in the palm of her hand, he elbow neatly placed upon the table.

She wasn't hungry, for some reason. It was a shame, really, she'd come all the way over here to figure that out.

_Wonderful. _

She grabbed her things to leave and paid the bill, but, alas, here her father was to stop her, and he sat her back down at a different table than before to "Talk." Namine wasn't nervous or worried at all until she spotted the hint of terror in her fathers eyes.

She was about to ask, but he hushed her with his own words.

"I have to tell you something," He said, "You have to promise to listen, because it's important."

"I'm listening." Namine assured.

James lowered his head, avoiding Namine's gaze. It was already hard enough to confess, it'd be even harder to look at her reaction. He stayed quiet for a long period of time.

"Dad?" Namine asked. Now she was worried. But, just a little.

"You know Brittany, right?"

Namine suddenly felt ill. "What about her?"

"Tomorrow," James swallowed, "Brittany and I-"he paused, and then continued. "Don't do anything rational."

"Dad!" Namine wished he'd just hurry up. "Just say it!"

James took one last, long deep breath, and then opened his mouth. "I'm getting married to Brittany. Tomorrow."

**000 **

By the time Riku'd gotten all the way back across half the small town, it was already too late. He walked into the restaurant to find Namine at one of the tables in the far end of the room where it was darker and shady, her head in her arms on the table, _crying._ Crying wasn't even a strong enough word for it. Wailing. Moaning. Sobbing.

He ignored the concerned people watching and gathered up all the strength he had not to say anything. It was best… Just to let her cry. The only thing he could do for her was let her cry on his shoulder.

He sat next to her, first placing one of his hands on her shoulder and then wrapping it all the way around both her shoulders and using his other arm to pull her in closer to him. He rested his head atop hers and she sobbed into his shirt, already knowing James had left, despite her arguing.

Riku'd managed to get her back to the hotel a few hours later when it started to get dark and the restaurant closed up for the night. By 9:00 P.M. they were both back at the hotel and in their room, Namine still crying as they sat on the bed for countless hours until the only light in the room was a candle Riku'd lit.

He said nothing to her the whole night, and wasn't intending too. Namine did the same. He had to let her focus on letting the reality of tomorrow sink in before Christmas day, if it were possible. And she lay against him while his strong arms held her in place and she cried even more. For what maybe the first time in her life, she'd experienced what it was like to not have any tears left to cry, but she continued on anyways. All of her tears could have filled a lake.

She began to quiet down near 3 A.M, which was the best thing that'd happened all night, for Riku. She finally calmed down enough to sleep for the few hours that were left before she'd wake up and passably cry some more.

Riku _hated_ this. Hated it with everything he had in him. If there was one thing he'd wished he could avoid, it was seeing Namine in tears. He cared more for her than anything he could think of, and when she was traumatized like this he couldn't bear it.

The only thing left to do at this point was hope that Christmas wouldn't turn out to be a total disaster.

It was going to be a cold, hard, depressing rest of the night.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N:** :3 I think that was long enough to hold everyone off till the next update. yeah.

AWARDS

Top reviewer of chapter 36: **Jakall Aliviar!!!! **

2nd place:**sayshello3!!! **

3rd place:**hanakitsunchan7!! **

4th place: **The Darkside Incarnate! **

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q:**RIKU ALMOST PROPOSTED HUH??** A: _Yep. :D go Riku!_

Q:**Was he going to ask her to marry him?**A: _Riku was, but didn't. He has to save it (author laughs evilly in background). _

Q:**Does Kim have a thing for Roxas finally, and trying to hide it by being mean and nasty to him?** A: _Nope. Well, actually, kinda... I mean, she doesn't really REALIZE she has any feeling for him at all, but when she does it's gonna smack her in the face HARD. Lol, my only hint is "look forward to the Bahamas." _

Q:**How did your desk break with only a binder?** A: _Ugnh. Can you possably carrying around that heavy thing all day? GAWD..._

Q:**so...is like- Riku gonna propose to Namine?** A: _-laughs- I can't wait to write it -parades around in the fluff-_

Q:**why so early?** A: _You mean Riku wanting to propose to Namine? Well, you have to look at it from Riku's point of view. Pretend you're him for a second. There's... a year and a half left of highschool before they graduate and he already knows there's no one but Namine. She's the one. And, their serious about their relationship, so why not now? Haha, and he's just impationt. he doesn't WANT to wait. _

Q:**I can't believe Riku almost -blank-.(He almost did a number of things.)**A: _I know this isn't a question, but i HAD to bring it up and laugh... Yeah, he did almost do a number of thing... -cracks up- _

Q:**Does Fa'an have a past that made him the way he is now, or is he just like that? **A:_No, he's just a jerk. Nothing more to it. _

Q:**Another Story 4? **A: _-falls over- I'm not even on 3 yet!!_

Q:**Great chapter, so that's what happened, for some reason I thought Kyle had AIDS or something...**A: _Lol... AIDS... _

Q:**Hm, what was Kim upset about?**A:_-hehe, evil laugh-_

Q:**Heh- she ripped your soul out eh?**A: _-huffs- YES. That's exactly what that evil bitch did..._

Q:**Your de-computered until may 20th? How come? **A: _I was mad at my dad so I let my dog chew up the couch. _

Q: **If two people were seriously messed up in the head, does that mean they got messed up in the accident, or they were already messed up, and are alright? **A: _They're now mentally messed up. Too much alcohol + drugs. It messed them up :(_

Q: **Are you REALLY going to make it fifty chapters long?** A: _It'll be WAY longer than that. Around 65-85 chapters. wow, I know. Don't worry, I'm devoted. This story's always been my favorite to write. I have lots of fun with it. That's why I'm making it so long. I don't want to end it at all yet. _

Q: **When is Namine gonna Find out about the wedding?** A: _She just did.  
_  
Q: **How is the Wedding going to effect Namine & Riku? **A: _You'll see –sings- _

Q: **How are Axle and Reno doing? **A: _Fine. Just fine. Haha, lol. _

Q: **How are Cloud, Yuffi, Leon and the gang spending there break? **A: _Hanging out, being teenagers. I guess. _

Q: **Any new characters You plan on adding? **A: _So far, just Nammah. _

Q: **What is going to happen between Roxas and Kim? Lol** A: _You'll see in the Bahamas –giggle- _

Q: **And What's going to happen when they get back to school?** A: _Things will still be a little dramatic, but not as dramatic. And then the Bahamas are hardly going to be dramatic at all. The Bahama's will be fun –heehee- _

ABOUT ME

I saw a world famous juggler today. Lol, he was funny. I got his autograph after the show too! X3 yay me! His name is "Roberto"...

Haha, I won't forget him anytime soon XD.

BYE

_The next chapter is CHRISTMAS. Then Hawaii's over. XD but then the go to the Bahamas. Lol, busy busy. _

_Lol. Good-bye Volume-5! _

Yesterday ended last night -Cracker-Jacks000


	38. Merry Christmas

**A/N: **_You're all getting faster... _Lol, yay me!!!! 400 + reviews? Awesome! I'll have to do something _really _special when I reach my original goal of 450 reviews. You just wait and see. Maybe I'll add a Roxas/Kim moment... -evil laugh-

Anyways, I'd just like to thank everyone who's been with me since square one. And I'll thank all the newer reviewers too! You all put smiles on my face day after day.

Enjoy!! I'll try and make it not-short!! I don't have an excuse to make it short anymore -haha-!!!

**P.S.** If you wanted me to read your storys, remind me. -heheheh- I don't have the best memory.

**CHAPTER 38**

_**She began to quiet down near 3 A.M, which was the best thing that'd happened all night, for Riku. She finally calmed down enough to sleep for the few hours that were left before she'd wake up and passably cry some more.**_

_**Riku hated this. Hated it with everything he had in him. If there was one thing he'd wished he could avoid, it was seeing Namine in tears. He cared more for her than anything he could think of, and when she was traumatized like this he couldn't bear it.**_

_**The only thing left to do at this point was hope that Christmas wouldn't turn out to be a total disaster.**_

_**It was going to be a cold, hard, depressing rest of the night.**_

Riku relaxed his head, just waking up from what might be the shortest time he'd ever gotten to sleep. Maybe five hours, at the most. He was guessing around three. At least it was something, he'd need the extra energy for today. He'd_ really_ need it.

He wasn't worried about himself at the moment, though, so he couldn't focus on himself. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was check for Namine. She was sleeping, which was good news. For him at least. It was near 10 A.M. James might be up and looking for her by now. But that didn't matter... All Riku cared about was that she wasn't crying. There were dry tears on her cheeks, but that was all. Those could easly be kissed away.

Namine was leaning on her side against him, her head rested under his neck and her tiny, frigile body pressed against his chest and legs while her arms wrapped themselfs around his torso. Peacful at last; he thought.

one of his arms was wrapped around her waist, so he used his free hand to brush the stay strands of hair from her face. He was careful not to wake her up, and he smiled when she stirred a little bit, only to press herself even tighter against him. He liked the way her soft skin felt against his.

She slept for a little while longer, until someone stated to knock on their door and she turned over on her side, trying to fall back asleep as Riku answered the door.

It was Roxas.

"She there?" He asked.

"Yep." Riku pointed behind him. "Trying to sleep, but here."

"You should probably get her up," Roxas told, peaking into the room and at the hill of blankets that Namine was wrapped up in, "James is looking for her, so is Brittany, and like, everyone else. Plus, the wedding is in 6 hours. And then, there's all that Chrismas stuff and the fireworks and whatever."

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll get her up." Riku made sure Namine couldn't hear their conversation. Las thing he wanted was for her to start crying again.

Roxas left, and Riku went over to Namine's side of the bed and almost jumped on top of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheeks several times. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Mmm…" Namine opened her eyes half way. "Five minutes." She mumbled.

"No," Riku's breath tickles her ear. "Now."

"I don't want to get up…" She said under her breathe. "Not today."

"Come on," Riku sat up straight, and pulled at her arm. "Your dad's looking for you."

"Even more of a reason not to get out of bed." Namine hid her face in the pillow, fully prepared to drift back into sleep.

"And it's Christmas." Riku pulled again and she looked at him, annoyed.

"So?"

"Get up."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Brittany's looking for you too." Riku standing up now, still holding on to her arm. "And you've got a wedding to get ready for."

"Brittany can go fall in a ditch, I'm not going." Namine hissed.

"For the last time, get up." Riku warned.

"I said no!" Namine's mood got even fouler by the second.

Riku huffed, leaned over and scooped her up, walked down the hallway with her in his arms, and walked inside Sora and Kairi's room without asking, where Kairi was, picking out something to wear.

Kairi gave him a look. "What's-"

Riku cut her off. "Get her ready to go to the wedding; I don't care if she doesn't want to." And with that, Riku was gone and Kairi's door was closed, with Namine set next to Kairi.

"What's wrong with him?" Kairi asked.

Namine huffed, and didn't reply. Riku'd gone into forceful mode again.

"Hello?"

"He can't make me go." Namine sat down in the chair next to Kairi's closet. "I'm not going."

"But it's your fathers-"

"I don't care." Namine had folded her arms and was looking at the ground, looking a little more pained than angry or frustrated. "I'm just not going."

Kairi didn't know what to do or say to convince her. So, she sat on the bed across from Namine, smiling sweetly at her and she hugged her knees to her chest. "Why not?" Kairi knew asking the question was pointless, but it was a start.

Namine gave her a look. "You're kidding me… I just met this woman two weeks ago, and now my dad's telling me he's marrying her, today!" Namine huffed. "Nothing in the whole wide world is going to make me call her my mom."

Kairi wasn't very good with the super dramatic, 'I'm going to die' subjects, which was kind of like what Namine was acting like, but she tried her best. "She's not that bad."

"Yes she is! She hasn't even tried to say hi to me once, ether. I get the feeling that she doesn't like me ether." Namine protested, feeling stubborn.

"Maybe she's nervous?" Kairi asked.

"Maybe." Namine sighed. "Or maybe she's just a bitch."

"Sora told me that she's looking for you." Kairi told.

"Yeah," Namine sighed again, "I know."

"So is your dad." Kairi felt she might be getting somewhere.

"My dad…" Namine suddenly felt guilty, for some reason. The emotion just kind of--- popped out of nowhere. Before, and for the whole trip, she's hated him. Now she felt… Guilty.

And sad.

There was still a little resentment, but other feelings were taking over now. Kairi could see everything in Namine's facial expression. She might have gotten to her! Namine was actually thinking about everything instead of jumping to conclusions like she usually did.

"I remember how he used to make me watch cartoons with him…" Namine smiled, but weakly. "And he'd always tried to cook, which usually turned out in disaster… He was really trying to be both parents at the same time. It was nice to know he cared so much about me."

Kairi listened, quiet and understanding. Namine was practically doing everything herself. Still, while Namine was too busy thinking, she'd text messaged Selphie and Olette to come help. Namine still needed comfort, but not from Riku this time around. She needed it from the girls.

"And then he just kind of disappeared. He was never home, never there, always working, or, that's what he said he was doing."

Selphie and Olette had walked into the room and shut the door behind them just then, and both sat on the floor in front of Namine's chair. Selphie leaned back against the bed and Olette sat with her legs crisscrossed, while Kairi remained sitting on the bed. Namine hadn't even taken the time to notice Selphie and Olette had joined the conversation.

"So you missed him?" Olette felt sympathy for Namine, and was already aware of what was going on, though Selphie was still a little out-of-it.

"I guess you could say that. Well, it started like that. After a while, I didn't really care, because Riku was taking care of me instead. I was happy with him. But by then I hadn't seen my father in… a few months! I started getting angry."

"I see." Kairi continued to listen, and Olette gave a worried expressed and Kairi shrugged.

"So, where're here now… And he takes this woman with him called Brittany who I'd never seen before in my life. I was kind of shocked, and suspicious, because my dad usually introduced me to his friend's way before the time that he had. And then a few days later he told me he was dating her, but that was no surprise."

Selphie was still clueless.

"Just yesterday, he told me that he was going to marry her on Christmas, which is today, and I could stand to think that he was replacing my mom. I just couldn't. I didn't want another mom. If anything, I wanted my old mom back. So I cried all night, and Riku was sweet enough to stay up with me till I fell asleep. But now he's forcing me to go to this woman's wedding and… How could I go?"

"You just don't want to believe he's actually marrying her, so you don't want to watch it happen. Maybe?" Olette was trying to help while Kairi and Selphie whispered, Kairi trying to explain to Selphie what was going on.

"That's right! I'm too afraid of my mom being replaced; I guess I just can't believe it. It made me think my dad was some horrible person. Like, he doesn't care… He couldn't even ask me if it was alright first! And now this person's going to take him away. It's like she's stealing him from me!" Right at that very moment Namine stopped, and stared at the ground. He head was pounding, and she took a deep breath and she thought about it some more. She wasn't mad, angry, or upset that James might be replacing her mom… She was unset that he might be replacing her!

Riku had just entered the room again, loud enough to even jerk Namine out of her trance and focus her full attention on him.

"You knock any sense into her yet?" He asked, pointed at Namine, who had an offended look on her face.

"Riku!" Namine stared at him. What was with him?

"I think so…" Kairi played with her thumbs.

"Good." Riku said, smiled at Namine, and picked her up a second time, now marching away with her.

"Put me down!" Namine shrieked.

"Where're you going?" Olette asked.

"Namine's dress is in Brittany's room." Riku told. "I'm going there to talk to Brittany, James, and Namine all at once." With that he was gone, and already heading upstairs, despite Namine's frantic kicking and complaining.

He reached the floor where James's room, was, and set Namine down, grabbing her hand and knocking on the door. He was welcomed by James who let them in and Riku dragged Namine to the couch Brittany was sitting on and joined her while James sat across from them in another chair.

Riku was sitting in-between Namine and Brittany, since Namine refused to sit next to her. Riku couldn't push her too far. He was determined to end this and make peace though.

"Oooh!" Brittany seemed excited. "Let me go get the dress!"

James smiled at her, and then focused his attention on the couple in front of him. "Where do we start?" He asked.

"Namine's decided to go to the wedding," Riku looked at her, "Right?"

Namine crossed her arms and avoided his gaze. "Maybe."

James sighed, and gave her a 'don't be difficult' look. Namine had a reason to be so stubborn, but she'd have to give in sooner or later. "Namine?" He asked.

Namine sighed, and was about to speak until Brittany dashed back into the room, holding up a beautiful, ocean blue dress that fell to the ground. "Do you like it?" She asked as if there'd never been anything wrong between her and her daughter-to-be. Hat was the way Brittany did things. James admired her for it.

Namine had to admit, the dress was amazing. But she wasn't ready to accept Brittany just yet, even though she was easing up.

"Do you?" Brittany asked again, as excited as ever. She'd handed the dress to Namine, who studied it with awe. The adorable look she had in her eyes made Riku ease up a bit too. Brittany, some how, had made things a little more relaxing and less tense.

"It's…" Namine looked up and smiled for the first time at Brittany. "It's beautiful."

Brittany smiled back. "I'm glad you think so, maid of honor."

Namine had looked down again and thought for a second. Brittany didn't seem all that bad, now that she'd gotten to spend a little bit of time with her.

"Well," James started, "I should probably talk to Namine alone now. Brittany, could you and Riku leave for a little bit?"

Brittany nodded, and Riku got up, smiled at Namine, and let go of her hand.

**000**

"Why do you keep following me!?" Kim whinned, took a seat in the wooden chair outside, and pouted.

"Hm?" Roxas was oblivious. While he followed Kim all over the place, he'd drifted off into lala land.

"You're not my frigin' bodygaurd." Kim huffed. "I can take care of myslef."

"Sure you can." Roxas sat in a cair across from her. "That's why you were almost sent to the hospital?"

"ROXAS!"

"Alright, alright." Roxas laughed at Kim's expence. "I give."

"I'm tired of you just showing up wherever I am." Kim scoffed, turned to her side and swund her legs over the arm rest on the chair.

"Why?" Roxas chuckled, hoping to agrivate her further. He liked watching her get mad.

_"Why?" _Kim gave him a look of disgust. "I don't even want to start. There are endless reasons why I'd rather spend my time with someone else."

"Same."

"Then why do you kepp on folloing me?" Kim looked at him with hate. "What's your deal?"

"Because your life's so much more interesting than mine." Roxas said in a bored tone.

"What?"

"Are your ears broken, or something?"

"Just..." Kim was growling. "Just go away. Don't think you're ticked me off enough."

"No."

Kim tried her hardest not to smack him. "I swear-"

Roxas cut her off. "I can't believe you told Namine."

"Is that why you've been torturing me?"

"Do you think I actually _wanted_ to follow you around?" Roxas made a face. "There's a million other things I could be doing right now."

"You..." Kim shook her head. "You're hopeless."

"Am not!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Roxas." Kim rolled her eyes.

**000**

"Why can't you just trust me?" James sighed miserably.

"Why should I?" Namine was disgusted with him. "You lied."

"I know, I know..." James refused to look at her. "It'd just be nice if, every once and a while, you'd actually listen to me. I swear, everything I say to you goes through one ear and out the other."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you have to marry her?" Namine held back tears. "It's bad enough that..."

"Namine..." James couldn't help feeling slightly guilty. "I'm just trying to help."

"Help?" Namine looked at him. "Help what?"

"Us. Don't you miss having a mom? I know I miss having a wife." James said.

"Well of course I miss having a mom! But how in the world am I supposed to call Brittany my mom?! I just met her!" Namine sniffed, and folded her arms.

"I know but," James was just as upset, "Can't you just give her a chance?"

"I could, but I don't want to."

"Come on, Namine! Don't be so stubborn! I'm not trying to ruin your life!" James nearly shouted, loud enough for Riku and Brittany to hear over in the next room.

"I just..." Namine looked down at her feet, "Honestly, I don't know what to do. It's to quick for me... I don't want to even look at Brittany yet. You can't expect me to just start calling her mom right away."

"I'm not asking you to."

"What?" Namine eyed her father.

"I'm not going to expect you to call her "mom," at least, not yet. What I'm asking is that you respect her, and my decision. I only want the best for everyone." James told, stood, held out a hand for her, and smiled. "Don't be so gosh darn stubborn. It's irritating."

Namine accepted his offer and stood up, still staring at ther ground. "I'm still not sure."

James smiled at her. "Just trust me. I'll I'm going to ask right now is that you talk to Brittany and show up at the wedding. You can handle that much, can't you?"

Namine nodded slowly. "I'll think about it."

"Good enough."

"Are you finished yet?" Brittany yelled throught he door.

"Yeah," James opened the door and Brittany came back into the room, followed by Riku who was imidiatly at Namine's side again.

Namine scooped the dress up into her arms and left with Riku to her own room.

"Is everything alright?" Riku asked when they reached their room again.

"I guess." Namine rubbed her stomach. "I feel kinda weird."

Riku smiled at her and held back his laugh. "Did he convince you to go to the wedding?"

Namine then looked down at the dress Brittanty gave her. "I have to. I'm the maid of honor."

Riku smiled wider. "Maid of honor? You excited?"

"Not really."

Riku sighed, and wrapped his arms around her, tacking the dress out of Namine's hands and throwing it across the room to the bed. "Hey..." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"What?" She asked, giving in to Riku's embrace and giggling softly.

"Don't make me worry so much." He whispered, his breath tickling her face.

"I'll try not to." Namine leaned foreward and kissed his cheek gently, and smiled. "As long as you promise tonever talk to me again like the way you did this morning."

Riku chuckled. "I promise."

**000**

Kairi spun around in her dress, her neetly done hair swaying back and forth as she went. Sora laughed at her when she turned to him and smiled, asking "don't I look like a princess?"

"You're not supposed to look better than the bride." He chuckled.

Kairi giggled and continued, dancing all the way to the place where the wedding would take place. A few people were already seated, most likely some of Namine's family that had flown here this morning.

Kairi danced all the way to the alter and began to sing, too. Why she was so excited, she didn't know.

"Calm down, Kairi." Sora laughed. "A little too much enthusiasm."

"You're not excited?"

"Well, I am! But obviously not as excited as you." Sora laughed even harder when Kairi gave him a look, and then grabbed his hand, forcing him to sit down with her.

"You know," Kairi started as they waited for the wedding to start and watched more and more people fill up the church. "You look really good in a suit."

"You look good in everything."

Kairi blushed a little and laughed at him. "Quit doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"You're making me blush on purpose!"

"So?"

Just then, Namine and Riku came into the church with Selphie, Tidus, Olette, and Hayner trailing behind. Namine waved and smiled.

"Wasn't she, like, crying just a few hoiurs ago?" Sora asked.

"James talked to her," Kairi explained, "He must've done something right."

Sora laughed, and before too long the wedding began. Namine stood in her assigned spot somewhat close to Brittany, which was, unfortunatly, nowhere near Riku. She'd glance at him every now and then and he'd smile warmly at her. As the wedding proceaded, it was finally almost over and Namine began to feel a bit nervous, but kept the feeling to herself. She promised Riku that she wouldn't scream, "I object!"

She'd have to get him back later.

**000**

The wedding ended a few hours ago, and now the whole group was at the reception (sp?) dancing and whatever. The cake had been cut, gifts were already exchanged, and it was nearing midnight. Everyone was pretty much themselfs, including Roxas and Kim who had 'accedentally' both stepped under the mistletoe at the same time and were arguing over wether of not they _**had**_ to kiss. Namine spend most of the time she was there dancing with Riku and talking with Kairi and Olette. Selphie was too busy stuffing her face with cake.

They'd be going back home tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Well, everyone except James and brittany. They were leaving off to god-knoww-where for the honeymoon for a few days. Namine was a bit saddened, but there was still the bahamas (if they won the last blitz ball game) which would be just as grand. maybe even grander. Riku had promised her he'd make the trip fun.

At about 11:30 P.M, Namine and her friends headed back to the hotel and carried all their Christmas gifts up to the balcony where they had their own, seperate Chrismas. While waiting for the fireworks to go off, the unwapped presents and chattered.

"It's beautiful!" Kairi admired her brand new, _diomond _necklace. How Sora **ever **came up with the money would be a mystery forever. She put the necklace on right away. Tidus bought Selphie a lot of Chocolate, and Tidus and Wakka had _at least_ 30 new blitz balls. Figures.

Namine and Riku had somehow escaped the mini croud and snuck onto the far end of the beach, next the boulders where they had been before. They sat in the sand with gifts in their hands and they admired the sky before they even started to unwrap anything. It was nice to just stay quiet for a while.

"So..." Riku started. "You first."

"No, you first."

"Ah, but I asked first."

"Fine," Namine laughed, and handed him a little, golden wrapped box. He tore the wrapping paper off and lifted the lid from the box to reveal a little piece of mistletoe, which he lifted out of the box and laughed. "Very creative." He said inbetween chuckles.

Namine leaned over and kissed him, and he savored it for a few moments before she pulled away and smiled. "Merry Christmas."

Riku then handed her his own gift, which was also a little box wrapped with golden wrapping paper. the letters on the top of the box read "To Namine. From you-know-who!"

She didn't waste any time unwrapping. In fact, the wrapping paper had been gone within seconds. Inside the little box was a silver locket, and she held it up in front of her face. She smiled and let Riku open it for her, and inside was two little pictures of them. One of them, before they'd been together, and the other just taken a few days ago. It was absolutly adorable.

"Thank you, Riku." She smiled at him, and kissed him a second time. This time, it lasted longer.

Riku smiled against her lips and ran his fingers through her hair, tilting his head and cupping her cheek with his free hand. "Merry Christmas, Namine."

Namine wished she could be wrapped up in moments like this forever.

"I love you."

**000**

_+EXTRA SCENE+_

**The Lamest things**

Leon really hated holidays. He _really _did. He didn't see any point at all in spending _way_ too much money on people you saw every day. It was a waste, in his opinion. The only thing the word "holiday" meant to him was "time to spend all of my money" day. The worst holiday of all the Christmas.

Oh, how he _dispised_ Christmas!

Money here, money there. And the worse part about Christmas was that he was the one that always gave the best gifts, and got nothing but crap in return. What fun was that?

So, he'd decided this year that he was going to make no effort this year to find great gifts for Yuffie, Cloud, and Aerith. Absolutly zero effort.

Talk about being a lazy bum.

He had to admit, he _did_ feel a little bad, but who cares? Christmas sucks!

He hurried down a few streets and took two left turns into a neerly empty road with a few houses. He snickered as he walked up the porch and into Aerith's house with the one-dollar gifts in his hands and a pocket full of money.

Cloud, Aerith, and Yuffie were already sitting by the tree, waiting for him and Yuffie cheered when her eyes locked on the three gifts in his hands. Soon after, they all exchanged gifts and began unwrapping. Leon was supprised to find out that the gifts Cloud, Aerith, and Yuffie gave him were the best he'd ever gotten! He was also suprised that the three sitting in front of him _L-O-V-E-D _what he'd gotten them, even though they were the dumbest three objects he could get out of the store. What was going on!?

"Thank you, Leon!" Aerith praised him, and smiled sweetly.

"But, they were the lamest things I could-" He stopped himself when Cloud gave him a look. "Nevermind."

"Don't you just love Christmas?" Yuffie asked when Aerith had forced Leon to come caroling with them.

"Ughn." Leon grunted.

Maybe next year he'd be a little less... Selfish. He got no reacion of face or whatever out of anyone with those lame gifts.

"Christmas is about giving, not receiving."

yada yada yada.

He could care less about the meanin of Christmas.

_(I know, stupid and out-of-nowhere. Kim's idea XD)_

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N: **I hope it was long enough! Lol, I didn't have spell check for this chapter. Sorry!

AWARDS

Top reviewer:** The Darkside Incarnate!!!!**

2nd place:**kensinroks2111!!!**

3rd place:**hitman33333!!**

4th place:**sayshello3! **_Is that too long:(_

AN UPDATE

Hawaii offically ending in the next chapter (finally)!!!! And then I get to have a little fun with Roxas and Kim -snicker-

It's 2am right now... So I'm gonna skip replies. Sorry! Hopefully next time :3

Have a great weekend!! Review and I'll make the chapter longer!

"Do You see you're glass half empty of half full?" "I don't know, I just want to know who's drinking my water! -Cracker-Jacks000


	39. Victory Dance

**A/N:** I'm getting closer and closer to my goal –whoo- and after that my goal will be somewhere around 600. I'm so excited!! Ya'll are awesome! As a thanks, I'll probably add some Roxas/Kim stuff in this chapter. Well, I was planning on it anyways… If there's anything you want to see happen between them just tell me! I love new ideas.

Well, on with the story!

**P.s.** I know that the contest winner's one-shot is a bit delayed, but I should have it up in at least two weeks. Promise!

Oh, and I only had spell check for half of this chapter... Heh.

**CHAPTER 39**  
_(Haha, I almost typed chapter 389)_

The air was warm in the morning. So much so that Namine got up a few hours early just to take a cold shower and cool off. Riku seemed fine and slept in, he needed the extra sleep. He deserved it. It seemed a little opposite this morning. Usually, it was Namine that was woken up late and Riku that got up early. Meh… Whatever.

After Namine got out of the shower, she put on a pair of jean shorts and a short sleeve shirt that was all white except for the words printed over the front in blue that read: Hawaii. The shirt was one of the gifts she received the day before. This one was from Kairi.

After, she brushed her teeth and brushed her hair straight, throwing it over her shoulders and letting a few short strands of hair fall in front of her face. She was surprised when Riku was still sleeping about the time she was finished and ready to go. She'd even finished packing while he dozed away. It was about 11:00 am before he had finally woken up and joined Namine upstairs in the buffet room at a table with Selphie, Olette, and Hayner.

"Can you believe it!?" Selphie immediately focused her attention on Namine. "We're leaving in just a few hours!"

"Finally." Riku mumbled under his breath and leaned back in his seat.

Namine smiled warmly at Selphie and laughed. "Just think, in another few weeks we'll be in the Bahamas."

"Only if we win the last game!" Selphie cried. "What if we don't?"

"But what if we do?" Olette and Namine said in unison.

"Oh, forget it!" Selphie had forgotten that Hayner, who was sitting next to her, played on the team. He was looking pretty offended right now.

"Of course we'll win!" Hayner growled. "In fact, I'll make the winning shot!"

"Oh really?" Riku said sarcastically. "What if I do?"

"Quit day dreaming," Roxas came from behind the group and lazily took a seat next to Riku, "I'm going to make the winning shot."

"Pointless fighting…" Olette mumbled, a bit irritated with the boys. Did it really matter? "What time were we leaving again?" Olette asked, trying to change the subject.

"Um…" Namine looked at the clock resting on the wall overhead that read: 11:16 am. "Well, we leave at 4 pm… around 5 hours."

"Did you pack your bag yet?" Olette asked.

"I did." Namine said. The rest of the group stayed silent.

Olette rolled her eyes and got up. Was everyone going to be irresponsible today? They were most likely never going to get off the islands, the way they behaved. "We should go get some Ice Cream, Namine." Olette suggested.

Namine nodded her head. "Yeah, okay."

"What about us?" Roxas asked, leaning over farther and throwing his feet onto the table as a foot rest.

"I want ice cream…" Selphie muttered.

Olette gave them the silent treatment and left with Namine. Maybe if they had nothing to do they'd pack their bags. Otherwise, Olette was going to make them leave it here when they left. No last-minute anything this time!

000

At about 3:30 pm, James started to gather up every one and get them all to the limo he'd rented to take them 2 miles to the airport. At about 3:45 pm everyone was ready to go and they arrived at the airport 5 minutes before flight. The plane was delayed an extra 20 minutes so they had time to make sure they had everything. At about 4:20 pm they loaded onto the crowded plane and took their seats. Luckily, Namine and Riku got on the plane quick enough to get a seat next to each other. So did almost everyone else. But Roxas and Kim, unfortunately, were seated next to each other, a few seats behind Hayner, Pence, and Wakka.

"I feel bad for him…" Namine said, leaning over into the hallway to take a peak at Roxas and Kim, who were quite upset with each other.

Riku laughed. "Me too."

Roxas and Kim both sat on the very edges of their seats with their arms folded and death glares shooting this way and that. Usually, Roxas would take the opportunity to annoy Kim but now wasn't the time. Especially since he was required to stay seated and there'd be no way of escaping her wrath. So, he chose to keep quiet. And his decision might have been best too; she didn't look like she was feeling well at all this morning. He hoped it wasn't about you-know-who, but that wasn't his business. He started to accept the fact that by butting in he might have made things worse.

They were told that it would take about 24 hours to get back to destiny Islands. 24 whole hours of sitting next to Kim… 24 hours… Oh god… It was bound to be the longest 24 freaking hours of his life. He could hardly stand being around her for 24 minutes!

But he'd live. After a few hours of utter silence, she'd fallen asleep. Now all Roxas had to do was be careful not to wake her. God knows there'd be hell to pay if he woke up any girl, especially Kim. She still scared him half to death.

Roxas stared out the window he was seated next to while Kim slept quietly, watching the sky turn dark rather quickly. Not too long after Kim had fallen asleep, most of the other people on the plane fell asleep as well. What was weird was that Roxas wasn't the least bit sleepy at all!

He repositioned himself to be facing Kim now, instead of the window. He watched her breath in and out and sway back and forth a little by the movement of the plane. She looked at peace, for once. Sometimes it seemed that the 'I'm-so-much-better-than-you-go-away' expression was stuck to her face. This was a whole different side of her.

Maybe it was what she was dreaming about… But what could that be? What do girls dream about? He'd gotten a headache after a bit of guessing. About now, everyone but him was sleeping. Now he started to feel a little relaxed. Not that Kim was sleeping and couldn't harm him at the moment or the peaceful look on her face, but the sheer fact that he was the only one awake and the lights were turned off and the silence was what made him drowsy.

So, leaning back against the comfortable chair, he rested his head into the soft material near the top of the seat and closed his eyes. He would've gotten to sleep quickly, but just as he felt he were about to drift off into dream-land, there was a sharp movement of the plane that shook the place a little. Not just that, but something had landed on him, too…

Roxas opened his eyes immediately and froze, shocked by the suddenness of it all. When he realized what had happened, and the plane was fine, he wasn't surprised that it hadn't woken anyone up. What he was so surprised about was that the sharp turn had made Kim fall over on him. Now, her head was pressed against the side of his and the rest of her body was leaning up against his. If there was ever a time he wanted to shriek with terror, it was right about now.

He stayed still for a second before moving his arms in an attempt to remove her and push her back into her own chair, which would have worked if Kim hadn't stopped him.

"Don't… Touch… me…" Kim mumbled when Both Roxas's hands had her shoulders. He quickly let go. He knew, Kim was totally oblivious to what was going on, in fact it terrified him to know what her reaction would be if she were really awake, but he let her be anyways. Whatever her wrath would be, he'd pay for it later.

Besides, he didn't really want to admit it, but he liked the extra warmth.

_(A/N: Lol, Roxas has no idea…)_

**000**

Riku and Namine dragged their things into Riku's house and dragged them all the way down to Riku's room before they both slowly walked to the living room and fell onto the couch, exahusted. The flight had been long, especially since they had to stop elsewhere where Brittany and James left for their honeymoon. Then, they had to fly from there all the way back to Destiny Islands and walk back to Riku's house from the airport.

"You really need to get a car..." Namine huffed. "I can't believe we had to walk all the way back here."

"Hn." Riku grunted and rested his feet on the coffee table while he reached for the remote and flipped through chanells.

Namine leaned against the armrest and watched him reach for something entertaining. After a while, she found it a musing that he couldn't make up his mind. About the time it was nearly pitch black outside (their plane arrived late) Namine got up and started to walk in the direction of the kitchen.

"Where're you going?" Riku asked and turned around so that he was looking over the couch and at her.

"To make dinner." Namine was already preparing herself. "And then i'm going to bed. Anything you want me to make?"

"I could he-"

"I've got it covered, Riku." Namine smiled at him. "I can do it myself."

Riku gave her a look and sighed. "Fine."

Namine, as soon as she was in the kitchen and Riku was looking at the T.V. again, did a little 'voctory' dance and began cooking the meal.

She'd decided on soup, but not just any soup. The soup she was making was the soup that her mom would usually make when she was out of ideas. making the soup was simple.

All you had to do was throw a bunch of random, good looking things in. It usually turned out alright.

An hour later Namine called for Riku to sit at the table next to the kitchen where she'd already set up everything. As soon as he was seated, she gave him the soup and sat herself across from him.

Riku looked down at the bowl suspiciously. "What's this?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

"Soup." namine answered simply, snickering.

Riku reached for a spoon and took a bite before looking at Namine with suprise. "Wow, it's good."

Namine seemed offended. "And you didn't think it would be?"

Riku laughed at her. "I didn't say that." After taking another bite he looked across the table and at her again. "What did you put in it?"

"Stuff." Namine giggled. That was about as simple as it got.

Riku shrugged and continued on eating until they were both done, and then they were both back in Riku's room unpacking.

Riku finished first, considering that he didn't pack much. Or, not as much as Namine at least. She'd brought _everything _with her.

"Did you, like, bring your whole room?" Riku laughed, sitting on his bed and watching her.

"_No_." Namine huffed.

After another half hour, Namine was finally finished and she stood back and sighed, admiring her work. Riku's room looked neat, for once. Ah, the power of a woman.

"Glad we're back?" Riku asked when she'd turned to look at him.

"Hm?"

"Are you glad that we're home?" Riku asked again, patting a spot on his bed next to him, signaling her to sit down, which she did.

"I guess." Namine hummed, stretching her legs and yawning. "I'm kind of tired right now, though."

"I see." Riku got up and smiled warmly at her. "Well, I guess I'll just go hang around upstairs till I'm tired to." Riku pointed at his door. "So I'll leave for now and let you sleep, okay?"

Namine nodded slowly, suprised that he decided to leave just like that. Usually, she took forever on deciding things. "O-okay." For some reason, and out of no where, her stomach was doing flips. Why? She didn't know. Maybe it was the warm look Riku had given her.

"Well," Riku began heading towards the door. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"Wait!" Namine grabbed his wrist. All Riku had time to do was turn his head back in her direction before she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his shoulers.

A bit shocked by her sudden action, also confused as to where it came from, a froze for a second before he snapped out of his trance. He kissed her back, tilting his face into hers and returning the embrace.

"Thanks." Namine pulled away a few inches. Riku didn't ask, although he wanted to know why she was thinking him. None-the-less, her affection was welcomed. Riku just _couldn't _get enough of her. So, he kissed her a second time, pouring most of what he had at the moment into it. (he's tired too.)

It would've lasted longer if Riku hadn't moved his feet a little to the side, and tripped. Suprisingly enough. (A/N: I'm always tripping out of nowhere XD) He and Namine both, Namine being first, came tumbling down. Luckily, the bed was right behind them and that's where they landed.

"Ow." Namine laughed softly, finding the accedent amusing for whatever reason. She looked up at Riku, who'd fallen on top of her and stared blankly for a moment. Namine hushed herself and watched him just stare. It looked as though he were debating on wether or not he should kiss her again.

Riku suddenly smiled at her and she laughed again as he softly brushed aside the stay hair from her face. When he kissed her (_again_) She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed peacefully against his mouth. It lasted quite a while.

**+To Be Continued+**

_(I know, it was short. I was busy all week -cry-)_

**A/N:** Okay, everyone can take a deep breath now. It's OVER! Hawaii's finally over... Phew... So, back to school for them.

As a special treat for everyone helping me reach 400 reviews, here are chapter previews for the next three chapters. Like I said, I made a chapter map for myself. So, I know exactly what I'm going to do up to chapter 50 (then I'll have to spend 5 hours doing another...) enjoy, they're not long, but it'll give you kind on an idea of what's going on.

**_Chapter 40 _**(New years day - Brittany and James are back)

Brittany didn't know if it was such a good idea... Letting her new daughter live at some boys house rather than her own. She _was _her mother, after all, and she _was _still in 11th grade, still about a year and a half away from graduating, wether she was almost 18 or not. But, whatever. The topic about James's dicision to let Namine stay next door at her boyfriends house could be later discused. She would have her way. If not, well, she'd think of something else. She didn't quite trust Riku yet.. She might just have a talk with him too.

**_Chapter 41 _**

Riku couldn't believe what he was about to do. There was no way out of it, he knew. He'd have to say something sooner or later. He'd come to know that James was very good at getting the information that he wanted. He'd practically backed Riku up into a corner. Namine _would not _be happy with him. Heak, he wouldn't be happy with himself ether. What else was there to do? It seemed that James already knew.

"Yes..." James said, leaning back in the wooden chair, tapping his fingers against the table's surface. _Click, click, click... _"Continue."

Riku swallowed. Here it came... Boy-oh-boy would he be in for it. He knew he'd have to face it someday.

"I slept with your daughter."

**_Chapter 42_**

Riku let go of it for a while. He intended on spending every last second he had to it's fullest. Namine seemed fine, at the moment. She couldn't have looked more peacful, sitting there on the ledge of the fountain, peaking over it and into the sparckling water.

"Riku!" She called. "Do you have a penny?"

**_Okay, there's your previews. _**

AWARDS

Top reviewer:**The Darkside Incarnate!!!!**

2nd place: **Hitman33333!!!**

3rd place:**XFireFistAceX!!**

4th place:**naminecrys4riku!**

Me?

I saw Pirates Of The Caribian 3 today. It was the best movie _ever! _(besides Pride&Predutice, of course)

Replies?

I think I'm just going to start e-mailing the replies instead. That'd make it a bit easyer :D

Bye now

Don't forget to review!

A man is what he thinks about all day long -Cracker-Jacks000


	40. Countdown

**A/N:** It's almost summer :D

Well, I haven't got too much to say so I'll just get on with the chapter.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **_I only own the plot. _Oh! I don't own _**Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind**_ ether. Though, it is one of my favorite movies.

**CHAPTER 40**  
_(Gasp!)_

_**"Thanks." Namine pulled away a few inches. Riku didn't ask, although he wanted to know why she was thinking him. None-the-less, her affection was welcomed. Riku just couldn't get enough of her. So, he kissed her a second time, pouring most of what he had at the moment into it. (he's tired too.)**_

_**It would've lasted longer if Riku hadn't moved his feet a little to the side, and tripped. Suprisingly enough. (A/N: I'm always tripping out of nowhere XD) He and Namine both, Namine being first, came tumbling down. Luckily, the bed was right behind them and that's where they landed.**_

_**"Ow." Namine laughed softly, finding the accedent amusing for whatever reason. She looked up at Riku, who'd fallen on top of her and stared blankly for a moment. Namine hushed herself and watched him just stare. It looked as though he were debating on wether or not he should kiss her again.**_

_**Riku suddenly smiled at her and she laughed again as he softly brushed aside the stay hair from her face. When he kissed her (again) She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed peacefully against his mouth. It lasted quite a while.**_

Riku had been watching Namine struggle with her locker for at least 10 minutes now. He didn't mind waiting; school was over for the day anyways. He'd offered to help her once but she said what she usually did: "I can do it myself." He simply rolled his eyes and leaned against the locker next to hers.

"Argh!" Namine pounded against her locker. "Forget it. I'll just take my books home with me."

"You sure?" Riku tried not to laugh.

"Uh-huh." Namine mumbled while holding her books under her arm and throwing her backpack over her shoulder. With that they were on their way back to Riku's house. Namine had been starting to call it_ her_ house too. She'd been living with him long enough.

"So," Riku started when they were just a few blocks away from his house. "What day are your parents going to be back?"

"Today." Namine told.

_"Really?"_ Riku was surprised.

"Yeah, they wanted to be back to celebrate the New Year with us." Namine explained as they got closer to his house.

"Oh." Riku said. "So what time do they get back?"

"Uh..." Namine thought for a second, and then started to laugh at herself. "I have no idea!"

"Hmm…"

When they got to Riku's house, Namine threw her backpack and her books next to the door and followed Riku downstairs to his room.

"What do you want to do till they get back?" Riku asked.

Namine shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hn." Riku grunted.

"Hey, guess what!" Namine started laughing when she'd sat on his bed and began digging through the bag she'd brought to Hawaii with her.

"What?"

"I've still got money left over from that 2000 munny Roxas sold his skateboards for."

"Geez. Didn't you spend it all while you were shopping?"

"I guess_ not_." Namine giggled. "I feel like going to twighlight town now. Wanna come?"

"Sure." Riku grabbed a few things to bring with him, including munny for the train ride there. They both didn't bother changing out of their school clothes, and left immediately. Why wait? Who knew when James and Brittany would be back!

"I can't beleive it's already the new year!" Namine exclaimed while they sat in the train, waiting to arrive at Twighlight town. "Time flies."

"No it's not."

"Huh?"

"Not until midnight, remember?" Riku remimded her.

"Oh, that's right." Namine laughed softly.

Riku leaned back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest and staring ahead of his, out a dirty old train window. He stayed like that for a while, silent and thoughtful. Namine liked watching him when he stared off into space. It was... cute. His facial expressions amused her. After a while though, Riku felt her eyes on him and shirted his gaze towards her, lifting his eyebrows as if to say, "What?"

"What're you thinking about?" Namine asked, leaning forward and resting her arms over her legs, tilting her head so she could still look at him.

Naming sighed when Riku didn't say anything, but kept staring at her. Those piercing Acua eyes of his made her nervous sometimes. Other times... Well... That was another story. She could literally get lost in them.

When Riku finally spoke she inhaled.

"Stuff."

And then she exhaled. "Ah." She said, sounding a bit disapointed.

"What do you think I'm thinking about?" Riku teased.

Namine nudged him. "Don't so that!"

They both laughed for a while until the train came to a hault at Twighlight Town's trainstation and people began to walk off the train and into the city. Riku and Namine followed the crowd. As soon as their feet touched the ground outside, they both streatched and yawned before making their way to market street. The rides to Twightlight Town seemed to be getting longer and longer and_ longer..._

"I wonder where everyone is..." Namine was searching the town as they made their way through the crowded town.

"Hm?"

"Olette, Hayner, Pence, Roxas... You know." Namine told.

"Oh." Riku glanced at their surroundings once and then looked at her, shrugging. "They're probably off somewhere goofing off. I know Roxas's practicing for the last Blitz Ball game back at school."

"I feel bad for him." Namine laughed.

"Roxas knows what he'd doing." Riku looked at her and smiled, and then grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "So..." He took a deep breath. "Where to first?"

Namine smiled.

**000**

"Oh, C'mon!" Namine whinned. "Why not?"

"It's just not... Right!" James exclaimed.

"It's not _right? _What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Namine complained.

"Watch your mouth!" James comanded.

_**I've given up on giving up slowly,  
I'm blending in so  
You won't even know me apart  
from this whole world that shares my fate**_

Brittany sat in the background listening, arms folded over her chest. Where Namine had even gotten the idea that she could live with Riku instead of in her own house was beyond her.

_"Dad!" _Namine huffed. "Don't change the subject!"

"I will if I want to!" James yelled childishly. It made Brittany laugh.

"I'm almost 18 anyways! I should be able to live where I want. It's not like I'll disapear. He lives right next to you!"

That was enough to make James think. She was right, afer all... Maybe he'd consider it. But, on the other hand, she was asking to live with her_ boyfriend _and she hadn't even graduated yet!

_**This one last bullet you mention  
is my one last shot at redemption  
because I know to live you must give your life away**_

"Why should I let you live somewhere other than your own home?" James sat down next to Brittany on the couch, taking her pose by folding his arms over his chest.

"_Because_..." Namine threw her hands to her sides. "I've got good grades, don't I? I'm responsable, right? And... He lives next door! You'll still see me every day! And when I'm 18 in a few months I'll be able to do whatever I want anyways."

"I guess you're right..." James pondered.

"_What!?_" Brittany instantly cut in. "No she'd not!"

"You!" Namine pointed. "This is between my dad and I!"

"I'm your mom, I should have a say in this too!"

"Nuh-huh!"

_**I'm giving up on doing this alone now  
Cause I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how  
He's told me the way and I'm trying to get there  
And this life sentence that I'm serving  
I admit that I'm every bit deserving  
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair**_

"Ah..." James shrugged. "Why not?"

"James!" Brittany tugged at him. "You must be out of your mind! She's your daughter!"

"Uh..." James looked confused. "Yeah..."

Brittany let go of him and sighed heavily. What was the point? She knew her new husband was conplettely oblivious. Namine had her way, for now.

Brittany tried to think of it possativly but she didn't know if it was such a good idea... Letting her new daughter live at some boys house rather than her own. She _was _her mother, after all, and she _was _still in 11th grade, still about a year and a half away from graduating, wether she was almost 18 or not. But, whatever. The topic about James's dicision to let Namine stay next door at her boyfriends house could be later discused. She would have her way. If not, well, she'd think of something else. She didn't quite trust Riku yet.. She might just have a talk with him too.

_**I am a hostage to my own humanity  
Self detained and forced to live in this mess I've made  
And all I'm asking is for You to do what  
You can with me  
But I can't ask You to give what You already gave**_

Namine smiled, hugged her dad, and dashed up to her room to pack up everything and finally move into Riku's house completely. She called Riku while she was doing so, telling him about her fathers decision. He cheered for her and they hung up. A few hours later Namine was at Riku's house again and fully moved in.

"You sure your brother won't mind?"

"Of course not." Riku assured, standing next to Namine and staring at the clean room. "He thinks you're cool."

"I see."

"I'll race you to the kitchen," Riku said, nudging her and running towards the door. "Five-four-three-two-one-go!"

"Hey-_wha?_" Namine froze, startled. When she caught on she ran after him and laughed. "Hey!"

_**I've been housing all this doubt  
and insecurity and  
I've been locked inside that house  
all the while You hold the key  
And I've been dying to get out  
and that might be the death of me  
And even though,  
there's no way in knowing where to go,  
promise I'm going because  
I gotta get outta here  
Cause I'm afraid that this complacency  
is something I can't shake  
I gotta get outta here**_

They wished that the good times would last a life time. They could spend forever together.

**000**

It was windy out by the beach. So much so the Kairi's red hair kept smacking her in the face several times while she tried to find sea shells in the shallow water. The waves came crashing over her bare legs and she dug her hands through the sand, setting the shells that she did find in Sora's arms, who was standing next to her.

"What do you need all of these for?" Sora asked when Kairi'd placed the 20th shell in his care.

"Just 'cause they're pretty." Kairi giggled.

"Hm." Sora looked down at the shells she'd picked out. He smiled softly, losing himself in thought for a few seconds until Kairi placed a few more shells in his arms.

"You okay, Sora?" She stopped to look at him in the face.

"Uh..." Sora laughed at himself. "I'm fine."

Kairi giggled again and continued what she was doing. After a few minutes she found another and started laughing again when she dug the shell out from the sand. She cleaned it off and stared at it in awe. "Look at this one, Sora!" She held out the shell she'd found out in front of his face when she was done cleaning it off in the salt water, excited.

Sora looked at it funny. Why she was so excited over a half-brocken shell, he wasn't sure.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She gave him a smile that made him melt. He couldn't help but nodd his head in agreement.

He loved how she found beauty in everything.

"It's my favorite." She said, placing it on top off all the other shells.

"Yeah," Sora stared at it for a second, and then looked at Kairi, "should we head back to your house now?"

Kairi nodded, and then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Of course." She laughed.

"Right..." Sora tried to hide the shades of pink on his cheeks.

Kairi slipped on her sandals and grabbed a few more shells. With that, they were on their way to Kairi's home and there in a matter of ten minutes.

Once they were there, Kairi led Sora into the empty house and to the kitchen, where they soaked the shells and cleaned them a second time. Kairi hummed while she did so, letting Sora help her out while she scrubbed dirt off of the shells. She scooted closer to him and he smiled when she stole the shell he was cleaning from him, giggling when she stuck te shell back at the bottom of the sink with the rest and turned off the water, grabbing a wash cloth for Sora and herself so they could dry off their hands.

"Thanks for helping me." Kairi smiled, throwing the cloth onto the counter when she was finished with it.

"No problem." Sora grinned back and threw his cloth next to hers.

"We should watch a movie while the sea shells soak." She suggested.

"Yeah, sure." Sora agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

Kairi grabbed his hand, giggling, and dragged him into her living room, letting go of his hand for a second to kneel down and dig through a cabinet until she took out a movie case that she handed to Sora. Sora took it and read the title out loud.

"Eternal Sunshine." He read, making a face.

"Eternal Sunshine Of The Spottless Mind." Kairi corrected him. "It's a good movie."

"I've never heard of it."

"Wanna watch it?" Kairi asked, giving him a look that said 'please.'

"Sounds interesting." Sora laughed at her facial expression. "Sure."

Kairi jumped up with joy and then sprinted to the kitchen. "Hold on a sec!" She said before she left. "I'm making popcorn!"

Sora shook his head and took the Movie out of it's case, turning on the T.V. and putting the movie in the DVD player, also grabbing the remote to the DVD player and sitting at the edge of the couch. He gazed up at the ceiling while he waited for his girlfriend to come back, staring at patterns in the tile, not sure why he was doing so.

"I'm back." Kairi said suddenly, snapping Sora back down to planet earth. She sat next to him, setting the over-stuffed bowl of popcorn on his lap and turning off the lights. Sora pressed play on the remote and let Kairi lean against him, wrapping her arms around his arm and nuzzling her head against his neck. He loved the affection she gave him, even though it made him turn beat red.

The movie began, and progressed as time passed on and on.

_"Is there any risk of brain damage?"  
"Well, technically speaking, the operation is brain damage, but it's on a par with a night of heavy drinking. Nothing you'll miss."_

Kairi thought that quote from the movie was funny and laughed, allthough Sora stayed silent. The movie began to get interesting. The movie continued.

_"You know me, I'm impulsive."  
"That's what I love about you."_

Kairi sighed, warming up against Sora even more. This was offically her favorite movie. Still, the movie continued.

_"Maybe you can find yourself a nice antique rocking chair to die in."_

... The movie continued...

_"In the house on the beach I really should go! I've gotta catch my ride."  
" So go."  
"I did. I thought maybe you were a nut... but you were exciting."  
" I wish you had stayed."  
"I wish I had stayed to. NOW I wish I had stayed. I wish I had done a lot of things. I wish I had... I wish I had stayed. I do."  
"Well I came back downstairs and you were gone!"  
"I walked out, I walked out the door!"  
"Why?" _

_"I don't know. I felt like I was a scared little kid, I was like... it was above my head, I don't know."  
"You were scared?"  
"Yeah. I thought you knew that about me. I ran back to the bonfire, trying to outrun my humiliation."  
"Was it something I said?"  
"Yeah, you said "so go." With such disdain, you know?"  
" Oh, I'm sorry."  
" It's okay.  
Walking Out"  
"Joely? What if you stayed this time?"  
"I walked out the door. There's no memory left." _

_"Come back and make up a good-bye at least. Let's pretend we had one.  
Joel comes back  
Bye Joel."  
" I love you..."  
"Meet me... in Montauk..."_

A few minutes after that, the movie was over and the credits came onto the screen.

"Wow," Sora said, suprised. "That was a sad movie."

"I know," Kairi looked up at him, "It's good, huh?"

"You bet."

Kairi giggled and kissed him, savoring it for a moment before she pulled away and laughed. "Good thing there's no memory erasing machienes here."

"You'd want to erase someone?"

"I didn't say that."

Sora smiled at her and ran a few fingers through her hair. "I know."

Sora turned off the movie and stood up, helping kairi up as well and then he stretched his legs while setting the empty popcorn bowl on the table. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Almost 9:00pm. Did you want to leave?"

"Only if you walk me home." Sora smiled.

"Okay, let me grab my shoes!" Kairi dashed to her room for a minute or two and then came back with her shoes on her feet, and then she grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

Sora laughed and they walked all the way back to his house. As soon as Kairi got there, Sora's mother let her stay the night (since it was already too dark out).

_(A/N: The whole "Eternal Sunshine" movie part may have been confusing. To fill you in (if you haven't seen it-- Which you should) it's about this guy who finds out that his ex-girlfriend goes through something to get her memorys of him erased when he comes to make up and she acts as though she'd never seen him before in her life. So he does the same thing, but regrets it halfway through (He lives through his memorys while they're being erased) and at the end of the movie, they meet again but find these tapes in their mail with them talking about each other before they got their memorys erased. It's sad. In fact, I'm watching the movie right now while i write.)_

**000**

Riku and Namine were back in Twighlight town before midnight with Roxas, Hayner, Olette, Pence, Tidus, and Wakka. They all stood in the middle of the city with a large crowd of towns people. They all waited and waited until it was just a few seconds to midnight; the new year.

_"5..."_

Namine tightened her grip on Riku's hand when the towns people began to count down.

_"4..." _

Riku looked down at her while she stared at the giant clock that they were standing in front of. He pulled her closer to him and grinned, joining her when she began to countdown herself.

_"3..."_

Roxas held in a scream. He wasn't the only one that was excited.

_"2..."_

Pence got his camera ready and focused on Riku and Namine. He loved taking pictures of them. Well, he loved taking pictures of _everything._

_"1..."_

This was it, in one more second the fireworks would go off and the poeple would cheer, filling the whole town with niose. Roxas could barely hold it in, none-the-less Tidus or Wakka.

_"0!!!!" _

Just as the first fireworks went off, Riku pulled on Namine's arm, leaned down, and stole a kiss.

**+To Be Continued!+**

**A/N: **Sorry that it w_a_s -kinda- late... -tear- I was really busy this weekend. I had to go help with an 8 hour car wash, Spend the whole day with Kim because it was her birthday saturday (yay kim!), I had to babysit for my mother's managers, ect. :D Good thing I still had a little time to update! YAY!

**P.S.** Wish Kim a happy birthday! (WHOOT)

AWARDS

Top reviewer:**The13thFallen!!!!** _Thanks you:D_

2nd place: **Hanakitsunechan7!!! **_Haha. Riku's a genius._

3rd place:**Sorafanluver!! **_CRAZY good, huh? WHOOT!_

4th place:**The Darkside Incarnate! **_:3 Yes. _

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

**Q:** Are you gonna make Roberto into a character?**A: **_XD no. I did come up with two new charecters to go with Nammah, though. _

**Q: **will Selphie get any chocolate muffins? **A: **_Haha, sure. _

**Q: **does James know Riku and Namine slept together? **A: **_Not yet. He suspects it, though. _

**Q:**that means MORE DRAMA! but will it ever end? **A: **_lol. _

**Q:**WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? **A: **_Bahamas, alaska, a runaway nammah... ect. _

**Q:**where did sora get all that money to buy that neckalce? that must've cost a lot. what'd he do, rob a bank? **A: **_XD No. Wprk his guts out, maybe. _

**Q:**Hawaii it's over, but that doesnt mean the drama is over, right?**A: **_right._

**Q:**is britney really evil or something?**A: **_no. Just over protective. Like her husband. Kinda. Maybe. _

**Q:** did Kim know what was going on and act like she was sleeping?**A: **_Not really. She was, like, 1 3rd awake. _

**Q:** hows it coming on Nammah? **A: **_:3 very nicely. _

**Q:**Any new charecters? **A: **_Yes. Nammah isn't the only one now. I've made two more. Heehee. They're the first boy charecters I've made too! XD_

BYE

_Ungh... Sleep calls my name. _

If you're going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance-Cracker-Jacks000


	41. Gone Too Far

**A/N:** :D I fixed the problem in the last chapter. Sorry about that (eh).

:) Thanks to the people who reviewed!

Enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **_Nuh-uh. _

**CHAPTER 41**

_**"1..."**_

_**This was it, in one more second the fireworks would go off and the poeple would cheer, filling the whole town with niose. Roxas could barely hold it in, none-the-less Tidus or Wakka.**_

_**"0!!!!" **_

_**Just as the first fireworks went off, Riku pulled on Namine's arm, leaned down, and stole a kiss.**_

Namine watched the sunrise the next morning, sitting on top of Riku's roof with her feet hanging off the edge. She was facing the ocean, gazing over the sparkling water and into the horizen. She leaned towards her front, letting her arms fall to her sides while she day dreamed, thinking of the past year and her friends, her life as it was. It was relaxing, knowing she could be herself and not have to worry about the other people. Destiny Island was completely different from traverse town. She was greatful she was where she was right now. For once, she was excited about it being a new year. This was her chance.

The wind blew back her blone hair and Namine continued to stare off into space, totaly unaware Riku was coming up from behind. He sat down next to Namine and she looked at him. He smiled warmly and then shifted his attention to where she'd been focusing the past half hour. Namine looked at Riku again for a moment, only to admire the thoughtful look on his face before she looked back towards the sun rise.

"I didn't expect to find you up here at six am." Riku stared, grabbing her attention again.

Namine smiled, still facing towards the sea. She stretched her legs in front of her and sighed. "I Guess I just... I don't know. Just felt like it."

"Mm." Riku hummed. For a while, they were silent. not an akward silence, no, more of a relaxing silence. Riku closed his eyes and let his silver hair fall into his face. He took a deap breath and leaned back, setting his hands on the tile of the roof behind him to support his body.

"Do you think," Namine broke the silence, "do you think it'll be a good year? You know, since yesterday was new years and it's-"

"Yeah," Riku laughed, cutting her off, "Why?"

"Just wondering."

Riku put one of his arms around her shoulders and her her against his side. She rested her head against his shoulder and yawned, struggling to keep herself awake.

"Don't worry," Riku said, catching her attention again and she looked up at him; confused. "We'll make lots of good memories."

Namine smiled and kissed him on the cheek, and then rested her head again while she grabbed his arm, holding onto it while she closed her eyes for a few minutes. "Yeah."

Morning continued. A few hours later, when Namine had fallen asleep, he picked her up and carried her back inside of his house, grabbing a blanket on his way to the living room. He laid her down onto the couch and set the balnket over her, making sure to be careful so he wouldn't wake her. She always looked so peacful when she was asleep.

He made his way to his room and closed the door behind him, taking the chance to clean it back up before Namine threw a fit. While he threw things here and there, clearing the floor so it was visable again, he came across Namine's cell phone. He grabbed it when he was finished, leaving his room and walking up to the dining room. He took a seat at the table and yawned before he looked at the little white cell phone. He flipped it open and the background came into view. It was a picture of Namine and himself while they were in Hawaii.

In the picture, they were laughing and Roxas was sticking his tongue out behind them. He laughed and pressed a few buttons so he could look through the rest of the pictures. There were at _least _20 more pictures of Namine with him; a few were them at the beach or school, and the others were just of them goofing off in twighlight town or at his house. A few of the pictures were of Kairi, Olette, and Selphie and of Sora with the others. He was about to close the phone again, but the picture at the bottom of the list caught his eye. He clicked on it and the picture popped onto the screen.

It was a picture from a while ago. When they were at camp. He recognized it because he remembered Namine taking the picture of them while they were at the beach. He reminisced for a second and then smiled before he shut the phone and set it on the table.

Just as he was about to leave the room, the phone began to ring. He hesitated before he picked it up and held it to his ear. "Hello?" He asked.

"Is Namine there?" The voice on the other line asked.

"Yeah, she's sleeping."

"Who's this?"

"Riku."

"Oh! Riku! It's Brittany."

"H-hey."

"Would you mind coming over with Namine to have dinner with james and I tonight?"

"No."

"Good! See you at 8!"

With that she hung up and so did Riku. Riku sat there for a moment, and then left to the living room where Namine was sleeping to tell here where they were going later. For some reason, he felt kinda uneasy going to James's house with Namine. He hoped it was just in his head.

**000**

Roxas wanted to scream. He wanted to scream loud. Who the hell did that bitch think she was?!

He huffed at his swollen cheek, holding it in the palm of his hand. You could already guess what just happened; Roxas had been being a pest, or medaling, or simply paying Kim any attention at all (or whatever), and she'd slapped him. This was nothing new. It seemed to be a daily rutien they'd developed over the past week. And after Kim would hit him, he'd march off huffing and yelling words he shouldn't be yelling, typical reaction for Roxas. Kim enjoyed every second.

Poor Roxas. Most of the time he was just looking for something to do. If they kept this up he'd end up with scars sooner or later.

Meanwhile, while Roxas threw a fit, Kim was already headed back towards the school, remembering that she'd left a few of her books in the library building. She got there shortly and opened the tall doors to the library building, which was suprisingly bigger than the school itself, and entered the dark room. She'd taken the stairs to the third floor and walked over to one of the tables where her books, sure enough, were.

She sighed and grabbed them, tucking them under her arm and heading back outside so she could make her way home. Sad enough for her (and Roxas- who she'd taken it out on) her mother was borrowing her car and she had to walk all the way to the train station. By the time she got there, her legs ached and she threw herself onto the soft seats, books falling out to her sides, and she sat there motionless for a while. She relaxed, oblivious that Fa'an was sitting across from her.

"Look who it is." He caught her attention.

She looked up and hissed. "Suprise, suprise."

"I knew I'd run into you sooner or later."

"I wish you'd die."

"Quit saying that!"

"Why? Gonna cry?"

The war had already started. They were both so worked up that you could almost see thunder and lighting in the background.

"What happened to _you_?" Fa'an barked. "Bad day?"

"You could say that." Kim looked out the window and ignored his glare.

"Did that Roxas kid dump you?" Fa'an chuckled.

"I already told you!" Kim snarled. "We're not dating! I want nothing to do with that loser."

"Oh," Fa'an seemed amused. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"Go to hell, Fa'an."

Fa'an laughed.

Kim rolled her eyes and made a face, glad that the train ride to twighlight town was almost over. The sooner she had the chance to lose this jerk the better. She didn't need it right now.

She shot up when the train came to a stop and the doors opened, grabbed her books, and was out of that train in the blink of an eye. Not so good for her, Fa'an was just as fast.

"Trying to lose me or something?" Fa'an asked.

"Wow," Kim looked at him, "I didn't know you were blind."

"Cut it out."

Kim held her books to her chest. "Quit stalking me."

"Who says I'm stalking?" Fa'an grabbed her wrist and she dropped her books, which, unfortunatly, fell into the puddles next to the street. bye bye 'german' book. And what a shame, she was almost finished with it too.

"God, Fa'an!" Kim hissed. "Look what you did!"

"I'll admit, it was intentional." Fa'an still had a firm hold on her wrist, now backing her up against the wall of a building forcefully.

"You're suck a dick!"

Fa'an laughed harder, and then his laugh turned into a hateful growl as he pressed his forhead up against hers and twisted her wrist. To his dismay, he got no reaction from Kim. She acted as though it didn't hurt.

"I'm disapointed." Kim gave him an evil-ish grin. "That's all you've got?"

"Who says I could kill you right here and now."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Shut-up!" Fa'an used her wrist to throw her to the side. It had begun to rain a while earlyer, and the rain drops were pelting the top of Kims head as she laid there on the sidewalk, ignoring her chance to speak. She didn't want to. She knew what he was up to.

"So what are you waiting for?" She finally asked when Fa'an leaned down to see her face.

"What am I waiting for?" Fa'an chuckled, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her back on her feet, only to her could grab her face with his hand and focus it towards him. "I'm waiting for you to do something. Why don't you hit me back?"

"You're not worth it." Kim snacked his hand away. "If you think I'm going to lower myself to your level, you're out of luck."

Fa'an shook his head pushed her up against the wall again, holding onto her face still when he came closer, until the point where he was breathing her air. "Your mistake."

**000**

Silence filled the dining room at James's house as Riku and Namine sat on one end of the table, while Brittany and James sat on the other side. The dinner looked nice, most likely prepared by Brittany. The silence was akward, and just a little bit scary. Not only was Riku uneasy, but Namine was too. They'd exchange looks from time to time, questionsing if the other wanted to say something. The silence was almost madening.

Finally, James spoke up. "So... Brittany and I were going to ask if you both just wanted to stay the night here."

"Just so there's more time to talk," Brittany said, "I wanted to talk with Namine for a little bit and I thought you wouldn't mind hanging out with james for a while."

"Uh... Sure."

"Okay." Namine made a face at Riku. Riku shrugged. They were definatly up to something.

"Well," brittany got up, "I'm going to go wash the dishes now. Might as well get a head start. James smiled at her and she left intot he next room.

"Um," Namine started, standing up, "I think I'm going to go help."

"Looks like it's just us..." James leaned back in his chair, looking at Riku, who seemed uncomfortable. "Do you wanna go, just, watch some sports or something? I don't see anything else to do."

Riku sighed, releaved. Finally, someone speaked his languadge. "Like blitz ball?"

"Sure."

**000**

Roxas haste fully made his way down one of the hallways in the hospital, and took a turn left into another hall way that would lead him to Kims room at the very end.

Roxas NEVER thought things would EVER turn out this way. Just goes to show that yes, even Kim, has problems.

He couldn't help thinking this whole thing was his fault, even though he knew it wasn't. Not at all. Not one bit. These things just couldn't be helped. It wasn't even his bussiness in the first place.

But he'd gone and gotten himself involved, and now look where he was; running though a hospital trying to find the one person he disliked more than anyone to say sorry. sorry he had to be an idiot again. sorry that he, in a way, was the reason she was in here. Sorry that he ignored her (for the most part), and sorry he couldn't help.

This was her battle.

Not his.

But there HAD to be a way to get that jerk away from her himself. Obviously, she wasn't going to do anything about it herself. Maybe if she'd stood up for herself like she usually does she wouldn't have been hours from death.

Finally, he reached her room and opened the door slowly, sneaking in and shuting the door behind him quietly.

Next to the window in the white room he spotted her bed, and her in it.

"What do you want?" Se asked coldly, before he even made it half way across the room.

He froze where he was, right under the light on the ceiling, staring at the back of her head. "I don't know."

"What kind of an answer is that?" Kim huffed, pulling the white blanket further over her shoulders to keep warm. "If you're going to play stupid, go away."

Roxas finished making his way across the room and stood by her bedside. "I'm not trying to irritate you."

"Than what?" She snapped. "Just here to pity me?!"

"No," He shook his head and kneeled down in front of her, trying to see her face, which she covered with the blanket, "I just..." He looked down. "Sorry."

"..."

"And... Thanks."

"For what?" She lowered the blanket from her face and cocked an eye brow at him.

"For being at bitch."

Kim chucked and turned over, staring up at the ceiling and saying nothing.

Roxas got up, and sat in a chair next to her. For a while, they said nothing, and then he spotted another one of her books and fought the urge to laugh, "S_till _reading that book?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" Kim snarled, and then added, "And that one's new."

"How can you sit around for hours and stare at a piece of paper like that?" Roxas made it look like he was ill.

"How can you toss around that stupid blitz ball all day?" Kim tried not to get angry with him.

Roxas shook his head, "I'm never going to get how girls think."

"You're not supposed to." Kim seemed settle again.

"Could I ask you a question?" Roxas changed the subject.

"Hn." She grunted.

"Wh-" Roxas stopped himself for a moment before something he didn't want to say came out, "What do you see in that guy? I mean, all he ever does is beat y-"

"I don't" she interupted him.

"What?"

"I don't see anything in him." Kim stayed calm.

"Then why..."

"Because I did. " she sighed. "But it's gone."

Roxas frowned as he examined the bruises up and down her arms and the scratches on her face, "Why didn't you leave him?"

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

Kim turned over so she wasn't facing him again, "You wouldn't understand." She said just loud enough for him to hear.

"I think I do." Roxas leaned back in the chair and gazed across the white room. "You were lonely, right?"

"No."

"Yes."

Kim turned over and faced him, shooting a death glare, "I'm not lonely, Roxas."

"Than why?" It was obvious he wasn't going to leave her alone about it till he got an answer.

"Who told you this was your bussiness?"

"You."

Kim paused, and sighed, sitting up. "No I didn't."

"I guess." Roxas chuckled. "Thanks for not beating the crap out of me."

Kim stared at the door, "Hn."

Roxas chuckled lightly, "You keep saying that."

"I don't know what else to say."

"How about 'no problem' or 'anytime' ?"

"Don't push it."

"I'm not trying to."

Roxas all of a sudden stood up and headed for the door. Kim looked up at him, "Where are you going?"

"Home." He said. "Don't worry, I'm not finished with you yet. You'll see."

Kim got out of bed, although she wasn't supposed to, and grabbed his arm so he'd stop and look at her.

"What now?" He asked, "I really gotta-"

Before he could finish, Kim leaned up and kissed him on the check.

Roxas froze, his cheeks heating up as she leaned against him and then pulled away abruptly.

"I still hate you." She snapped him back to reality.

"Yeah," he sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I don't like you much ether."

**000**

Somehow, Riku and James got deep into conversation while they sat on the couch lazily and watched a blitz ball game on the T.V. Brittany and Namine were still doing dishes, so they were left out of it. Somehow, the topic of camp came up and Riku'd explained some of the things they did at camp while James listened, fully amused by the stories of Roxas crashing into walls and such. He then later told James about when He and Namine got together (he left out detail on purpose).

"That's interesting." James leaning into the couch further. "So you and Namine really hit it off."

"I guess you could say that."

"Hn?"

"Oh, did Namine say anything? We even skipped the bonfire to spend time with eachother, even though we timed it wrong and everyone was still there." Riku told, later regreting it when the look on James's face changed into confusion. He'd let a little too much slip.

"Wait, time it right? Time what? And what's wrong with everyone still being around? What was so important that you had to skip the bonfire?"

Riku wanted to beat himself at that point. He'd_ really_ said too much. "Uh, well, I guess we didn't want anyone watching us..."

"Watching you do what?" James felt odd. He pictured where it was going and it didn't look good.

"You know... Couple stuff?"

"Define couple stuff."

GOD! Couldn't he just leave it at that? Namine wasn't joking when she said her dad was a pest. This wan't going to end well. "Look, I'm really not-"

"Just say it," James sat up straight, staring Riku down. Riku felt trapped. It seemed that he had no choice. "Well... We didn't want, uh, we really--- we wanted---" He kept interupting himself. There just wasn't a way to say it right. But he knew if he didn't say it now, he'd have to say it later. James had the rest of his life to torture Riku about.

He couldn't believe what he was about to do. There was no way out of it, he knew. He'd have to say something sooner or later. He'd come to know that James was very good at getting the information that he wanted. He'd practically backed Riku up into a corner. Namine _would not _be happy with him. Heak, he wouldn't be happy with himself ether. What else was there to do? It seemed that James already knew.

"Yes..." James said, leaning forward, tapping his fingers against the coffee table's surface. _Click, click, click... _"Continue."

Riku swallowed. Here it came... Boy-oh-boy would he be in for it. He knew he'd have to face it someday.

"I slept with your daughter."

**+To Be Continued+**

**A/N:**3 You can go ahead and comand me to update. I've got all week to work on it now. Yes, that's right, my summer vacation has offically started! Time to write my guts out.

XD Hope you enjoy the cliff hanger!

Awards

Top reviewer: **The Darkside Incarnate!!!!**

2nd place:**The13thFallen!!!**

3rd place:**Naminecrys4riku!!**

4th place: **sayshello3!**

That's it

It's fathers day and I've gotta go make dinner now -cries- no time to work on making the authors note way too long (-everyone cheers-)

Three cheers for free soda -Cracker-Jacks000


	42. Beautiful and Georgious

**A/N: **Thanks you all _very _much for the reviews! They were all very inspirational!

**_A heads up: _**I'm going to try and fit another update in after this before monday because I'll be at camp for a week (I get to see Ethan again :D we're both _sooo _excited!). But like I said, I'm going to try. I've got more than I planned on doing to do this week. :( I know. But the good news is that there'll be a lot of Roxas/Kim moment for a while until they finally get together (if they do) (lol)

**Disclaimer: **_GOD! What do you think? _

**CHAPTER 42**

**_He couldn't believe what he was about to do. There was no way out of it, he knew. He'd have to say something sooner or later. He'd come to know that James was very good at getting the information that he wanted. He'd practically backed Riku up into a corner. Namine would not be happy with him. Heak, he wouldn't be happy with himself ether. What else was there to do? It seemed that James already knew._**

**_"Yes..." James said, leaning forward, tapping his fingers against the coffee table's surface. Click, click, click... "Continue." _**

**_swallowed. Here it came... Boy-oh-boy would he be in for it. He knew he'd have to face it someday._**

**_"I slept with your daughter."_ **

Brittany and Namine were called into the room immediately after James had talked with Riku. Namine sat in a single chair across from Riku, and Brittany sat next to James. Namine gave Riku questioning expressions as she entered the room and sat down before james began speaking, but Riku just looked down without giving any facial expression back. It worried Namine.

"Yes, James?" Brittany asked her husband, smiling at him when he looked at her.

James sighed, and took a deep breath. It was amazing that he wasn't chasing Riku out of the house with a bat at this very moment. Most dad's would. James seemed more upset of disappointed than angry, although there was a hint of it somewhere. maybe he wasn't totally outraged because he had gotten to know Riku a little over christmas vacation.

"Riku..." James started, looking at Brittany and then to Namine, and finally at Riku as he spoke. "Could you repeat what you've just told me to my wife and namine, please?"

"Um..." Riku bit his tongue. Namine stared at him with concern. "Well, I-"

James tapped his fingers against the coffee table again, looking down at the floor and hiding his face. He looked like he was debating on whether or not he should let Riku explain or run him over with his car. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

"Do I have to---" James cut Riku off.

"Yes." James sighed. "Just say it!"

Brittany was getting worried now. She had joined Namine, staring at Riku while she patted her husband on the back softly.

"But I-"

"Oh dear lord!" James was becoming impatient. "_Repeat yourself now_."

Riku swallowed. He avoided Brittany and looked at Namine instead. She deserved it, since she'd be in trouble along with him. The look on Namine's face told him that she already was aware of what he was about to say. She closed her eyes tight bit her bottom lip, urging for Riku to just get it over with.

"I slept with Namine."

Brittany coughed. In reaction to the sentence she chocked and covered her mouth, staring wide-eyed at Riku for what seemed like forever in an awkward silence. Riku's face turned countless shades of red as he avoided her shocked gaze and stared to the side at the wall. James was now staring at Namine, who didn't look away but just stared back. She didn't look guilty at all. A little embarrassed, yes, but not guilty. Riku, however, was feeling a lot of things. Brittany seemed frozen to her traumatized expression, looking as though she'd just seen a ghost. She wasn't expecting that.

"What," James began, tapping brittany on the shoulder lightly and standing up, "do you suppose we do?"

Brittany shook her head back and fourth. Slowly. "Uh..." She still looked like she was having a heart attack.

"Um..." James looked at Riku, who was beat red. "Riku and I need to talk alone. We'll leave for a while and you can talk to Namine, Brittany."

Brittany just nodded, her gaze still fixed on the source of her shock.

Riku stood up, still ignoring Brittany, and James lead him outside. Brittany watched them leave before turning to Namine.

**000**

"Look, I'm--" Riku started when they were both standing in the backyard, far enough away from Namine and Brittany.

"Just let me think for a second..." James sat on the cement steps to the house.

Riku hunched over and leaned against a tree, looking down at the ground while James thought.

"You're not lying?" James started again, making Riku look up at him. "You really slept with my daughter?"

"Hn." Riku hummed.

James took that as a "yes" and sighed. "Oh boy..."

"Hey, don't take it out on her." Riku said. "It's not her fault. I kinda pushed her into it."

"What should I do?" James questioned. "I'm not just going to let this go. I'm really disappointed in you."

"_Yeah_..." Riku was disapointed with himself too. He never meant to get Namine in trouble. Not like it was James's business, but he knew now.

"You know what I think?"

"What?"

"You two just need space." James looked up at Riku. "_A lot_ of space."

"Not to, you know, be rude or anything," Riku started, "But it was kinda our choice."

"You don't feel like your rushing things?" James stared quizzically. "Namine so... She's still really young."

"I don't feel like any thing's being rushed." Riku shook his head. _Rushing things?_

"Hmm..." James pondered a bit before starting to speak again. "I still think you two could use some time apart. How many hours of the day are you together?"

_All day... _Riku thought. "Uh... A lot?"

"You don't think you could use a break?"

Riku didn't say anything. James wasn't really making sense. A break... From Namine? He would've laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Honestly," maybe Riku could convince James that he and Namine were more serious about each other than he thought, "I can't get enough of her."

"So you slept with her?"

Riku mentally slapped himself. It would've been more effective if he just didn't say anything.

"You know what?" James stood up, looking like he'd made his decision.

Riku was almost afraid to ask. "What?"

"I'm taking Namine to New York." James told.

Riku shot up. _"WHAT!?" _

"You heard me."

"B-b-but you can't!" Riku panicked. His heart was pounding so fast it felt as though it were going to explode. He couldn't take Namine away from him... _He couldn't!_

"Don't worry." James said, assuring Riku. "I'll bring her back."

"Wh-when?!"

"I think two months would be enough time away from each other."

"Two months!?" Oh no... That wasn't good. That would go over the entire month of January and _Febuary..._ He had HUGE planns for February that couldn't wait any longer. And he wasn't just talking about bringing her to the Blitz ball olympics in the Bahamas.

"What's wrong with two months?" James gave Riku a quizzical stare.

"One month at the most..." Riku begged, "_Please!"_

It took James a second, but he answered. "Fine. One month."

Riku took a deep breath. What had he gotten Namine into?

**000**

"Explain yourself..." Brittany said in a furious tone. Boy-oh-boy what she boiling.

"What's there to explain?" Namine asked, folding her arms and leaning back in the chair. She was going to admit, facing her father with this subject would've been hard (she felt bad for Riku) but Brittany would be a piece of cake. She wasn't afriad of Brittany.

"Explain to me why my new daughter isn't a virgin!" Brittany was so mad you could imagine steam coming from her ears.

Namine blinked. Brittany had quite the temper. "Did he force you?"

"Of course not!" Namine yelled. "He wouldn't force me to do anything!"

"So it was your choice," Brittany sighed, "You _wanted_ to."

Namine nodded, becoming a bit pissed off herself.

"That just makes it worse." Brittany complained. "What force on Earth made you want to?"

"I don't think that's your business." Namine hissed.

"It's 100 percent my business and I have every right to know!" Brittany barked.

"No you don't!"

Brittany shook her head. "I should be forbidding you to ever see him again."

"That's not your choice!" Namine screamed. "I can see whoever I want! I'm not going to be your freaking robot!"

"You'll see who I want you to see!" Brittany stood, pointing her finger at Namine. "And that's _NOT_ Riku!"

"What's your problem!?"

"What's _yours_?!" Brittany shrieked. "You must be blind to want to go out with that mutt! Just look at him! He's dirty and has no manners, he doesn't give a damn about anything and do you see the way he just lets his hair grow long like that? On top of that he's--"

"_SHUT-UPPPPPPP_!" Namine shot up and roared. "You know **_nothing_** about Riku! No matter what you say, it doesn't change who he is _and I love him_!"

Before Brittany could say anything back, James entered the room suddenly with Riku. He was about to anounce his decision but was met with two death glares. Brittany's face lightened when she realized that it was just James. " _Please, tell this girl that she shouldn't see Riku anymore!"_

"That's not necessary." James began, and Riku walked up to Namine, who immediately clung to him.

"Am I the only one with any sense at all?!" Brittany whined.

Namine growled.

"I just think that they need space." James announced.

"_Space_?" Brittany and Namine asked in unison.

Riku scratched the back of his head and sighed when James continued.

"I'm taking Namine away to New York for a month until the beginning of February to live with her grandmother."

"What!?" Namine balked. She didn't want to leave!

"That's_ it_?" Brittany sounded disapointed.

"It's all that's necessary." James explained.

"Oh, I'll tell you what's necessary!" Brittany barked.

James pointed towards the door, urging Riku to leave so he could talk with Brittany. Riku nodded and left with Namine.

"How long do I have till I leave?" Namine asked in a hushed tone once the door to the house closed behind them.

The rest of today and half of tomorrow..." Riku grabbed her hand, stuffing his other hand in his pocket as they walked past his house and towards the train station.

"I won't miss the Bahama's, will I?" Namine asked.

"No, you'll be back the day before we leave."

Namine sighed in relief.

"Come on, let's go to twilight town. There's a place I want to show you that's not usually crowded this time of night." Riku said.

"Where?"

"Don't worry," Riku started, "You'll love it."

**000**

"Oh my gosh!!!!" Namine exclaimed when they'd turned a busy street corner and into a lavish park, filled with the sent of flowers and night-time air. The park was filled with beautiful trees and gardens, and in the middle of the park was a wishing well and cherry blosom trees. Beyond that was a steep, sandy cliff with ocean waves softly crashing at the bottom.

Riku'd taken her to the far end of tTwighlight Town, close to the ocean obviously. He'd only been to this park himself once. He'd gone by himself the last time and stumbled apon this place while he took a walk through the town. He'd completely forgotten about the park until about an hour ago.

Lights were strung to the trees, illuminating the park while the sky darkened. Calling the park georgious wouldn't be enough.

**_There's no one in town I know  
You gave us some place to go.  
I never said thank you for that.  
I thought I might get one more chance._**

Namine tugged on his hand and dragged him all the way to the cliff while he laughed at her, surprised that this excited her so much. He loved it when she smiled.

Namine leaned over while she stood at the cliff, her toes hanging off the edge so she could see the ocean below crashing over rocks and against the side of the cliff. It was a _really_ long way down. When Namine was done admiring that she walked along the paths with Riku, gazing off into the white lights that hung on the trees. By this time at night, those lights and the full moon were the only sources of light. The way the park looked at night was truely brilliant.

"How'd you find this place?" Namine asked, looking around the park. Surprisingly, they were the only ones there, as far as she could see.

Riku shrugged.

Namine giggled and let go of his hand, running through the grass and to the fountain where she leaned over the edge and looked into the water, staring at her reflection.

_**What would you think of me now,  
so lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
now I'll never have a chance.**_

Riku walked over to where she was, and stood next to her while she stared into the glistening water. He smiled at her, and then felt an ache in his chest. His grin wavered when he thought about Namine leaving for a whole month to some crowded city. January was going to be a living hell without her. She'd still be missing out on a lot, too. There was a school dance, the last Blitz Ball game, you get it. He couldn't imagine life without her for more than just two weeks. If there was a way to convince her dad you let her stay, he'd do it.

Riku let go of it for a while. He intended on spending every last second he had to it's fullest. Namine seemed fine, at the moment. She couldn't have looked more peaceful, sitting there on the ledge of the fountain, peaking over it and into the sparckling water.

"Riku!" She called. "Do you have a penny?"

"Uh..." Riku laughed. "Yeah." He reached into his pocket and tossed her an old looking penny, and Namine caught it. Namine closed her eyes and tossed the penny into the fountain, and then opened her eyes and watched it sink to the bottom with the rest of the coins. She smiled and looked up at Riku.

Riku sat down next to her and Namine looked back over the edge of the wishing well.

"What did you wish for?" Riku asked, leaning over and resting his arms on his knees.

"I'll tell you when it comes true." Namine said, sighing. She felt sad all of a sudden for some reason. She looked at Riku, who was staring off into space thoughtfuly. It would be nice if she knew what he was thinking. "Hey.." She tapped his shoulder.

He looked at her. "Hm?"

"You okay?" She asked.

Riku started to laugh out of nowhere, startling Namine. "Fine. I'm just fine." He said in-between laughs.

"What's so funny?" Namine asked, crossing her arms. "Is there something on my face, or what?"

"N-no." Riku stood up again, and held out a hand for Namine. "Here, I want to show you something else."

_**May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.  
So what would you think of me now,  
so lucky, so strong, so proud?  
I never said thank you for that,  
now I'll never have a chance.**_

"Um, okay..." Namine took his hand and stared at him while he lead her to a hidden part of the park, covered by willow trees. At the very edge next to a wall of rock was a small pathway that lead down to a beach next to the ocean. Riku took careful steps down the ledge, Namine trailing closely behind, until they reached the bottom.

It was a kind of small, hidden area somewhat far from the busy streets of Twighlight Town. It was quiet, and peaceful, even more so than the park they were just in. There were no lights, so the moon seemed to illuminate the beach entirely by itself, which was absolutely georgious. Even though it was small and a little plain, and surrounded by steep cliffs, it was one of the most beautiful places Namine could be at that moment. Riku must have had_ a lot_ of time on his hands to find it.

It was just then that it hit Namine how long she'd be gone. She couldn't _live_ a whole month without Riku or suprises like this. She hadn't really thought about it before when her father told her where they'd be going, but now she _really_ didn't want ot go. She never wanted to leave in the first place but the feeling grew rapidly.

"Well?" Riku asked, catching her sudden attention.

Namine smiled (or tried to), "It's amazing."

Was this some bad dream or something? Was this real? Was she really going to New York?

Riku kicked off his shoes and let go of her hand, walking up to the ocean, letting the waves gently crash over his toes. Riku couldn't help but flinch when the water his his feet, it was _freezing. _"I thought you might like it here."

Namine tried not to cry, but the tears were getting hard to hold back. This whole thing was a little too dramatic for her.

She shook her head, cursing mentally at herself. What was she doing? She could be spending her last night with Riku having fun and here she was, _about to cry. _She felt pathetic.

Riku looked back at her when she hadn't joined him. "Everything okay?"

_No... _Namine almost answered. She stood up tall, rubbed her eyes, and then put on her best smile. "I'm fine." She joined him and took off her sandals, stepping into the icey water and closing her eyes, taking a deep breath and letting the soft breaze blow her hair back, She relaxed and ingored the sad stuff.

"So..." Riku said, stretching his arms into the air and then letting them fall to his sides. "Seeing as we've only got till tomorrow, what's the_ first_ thing you want to do when you get back?" Riku grinned at her when she gave him a quizzical look. "I'll take you anywhere."

"What do I want to do?" Namine pondered for a minute or two. She smiled and faced Riku. "I think just being with you would be enough."

Riku couldn't help but smile back and laugh again, but his laughing was cut short when Namine reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and burrying her face in his chest. A little surprised, it took him a second but he returned the embrace, warpping his arms around her waist firmly. They stood like that for a while, savoring the time they had left in a peacful silence, covered in the light from the moon.

Namine lifted her head slightly. Riku ran his cheek against hers softly before they met forehead to forehead. Namine's blue eyes reflected the ocean and the visable stars, making her seem even more beautiful than she already was (if at all possable). Riku raised his hand from her waist and caressed her cheek gently, leaning his face closer to hers, till their noses were touching and Riku could feel Namine's breath. Having Namine so close was thrilling.

"Riku..." Namine whispered, tightening her grip around his neck.

"Hm?" Riku hummed, moving his hand from her cheek and running his fingers slowly through her pail, blonde hair. While it was still silent, he slowly closed the space in-between thair faces, precious seconds away from her lips.

"I love you."

Riku grinned and kissed her, closing his eyes and lowering his arm back to where it was before. He didn't have to say it back, she already knew.

_**And if you were with me tonight,  
I'd sing to you just one more time.  
A song for a heart so big,  
god wouldn't let it live.  
May angels lead you in.  
Hear you me my friends.  
On sleepless roads the sleepless go.  
May angels lead you in.**_

"I'll miss you, Namine."

**000**

It was the next morning, around noon, and James already had Namine at the airport. Riku followed to see her off, what else would he want ot do when his girlfriend was about to leave across the United States?

_"The flight to New York will begin in 15 minutes. The plane is boarding now." _A voice came from the speakers attached to the wall.

"That's it..." Namine sighed, a heavy bag in each hand. "I guess... I'll see you later?"

"Yeah..." Riku leaned over and gave her one last hug goodbye, which she would have gladly returned if her bags weren't so gosh darn heavy. "When you get back and we leave to the Bahama's," Riku started, whispering in her ear, "I'll have a surprise for you."

"Hn?" Namine grunted, sounding confused.

Riku smiled and kissed her cheek. "You'll see."

_"Namine!"_ James called, pointing towards the plain, hauling his own bags across the floor. "We're leaving now!"

"Coming, dad." Namine sighed, said goodbye to Riku, and left.

Riku watched the plane leave from the window, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched and sighed. Once the plane was out of fight, he sighed and headed for Sora's house. Who would have been better to cheer him up than his best friend?

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Poor Riku :( Everybody say goodbye to Namine till chapter 48 or 49.

:D Good news is, though, since I've got so much time on my hands now, being it summer vacation, we'll get there quickly. And, in the mean time, a flood of SoraxKairi fluff and RoxasxKim moments. yay!

I named the chapter "Beautiful and Georgious" because I felt like I used those words A LOT.

AWARDS

Top Reviewer: **The Darkside incarnate!!!!**

2nd place:**hitman33333!!!**

3rd place:**hanakitsunechan7!!**

4th place:**Sorafanluver!**

Update On The Fan Site

On the fan site I made for this sotry (see my profile for link) I changed A LOT of the pictures on the Charecters page. Check it out! Also on that page is the offical description and picture of Nammah, and the two other charecters I've been working on that I've yet to tell _anyone_ about. Go and check it out :D

Bye Now

I have a car wash on Friday and another update to work on before Sunday :0!!!

Golly Gosh! -Cracker-Jacks000


	43. Talent show?

**No spell check this chapter:( sorry! I'll post a spell checked version when i get back from camp!**

**A/N: **:3 Thanks to everyone who reviewed! GUESS WHAT! I've reached my original goal of 450 reviews!! YAY! Next goal is 550 reviews :) MWAHAHA!

Anywho, enjoy the chapter! It may be a little short because I had to rush to get it done. I'm leaving to camp for a week and wanted to get one more update in before I left.

**Disclaimer: **In a million years maybe. I'm shooting for a billion.

**CHAPTER 43**

_**Riku smiled and kissed her cheek. "You'll see."**_

_**"Namine!" James called, pointing towards the plain, hauling his own bags across the floor. "We're leaving now!"**_

_**"Coming, dad." Namine sighed, said goodbye to Riku, and left.**_

_**Riku watched the plane leave from the window, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched and sighed. Once the plane was out of fight, he sighed and headed for Sora's house. Who would have been better to cheer him up than his best friend?**_

The days that went by without Namine had started to get _long _and _boring._ Riku spent much of his day (when he wasn't at school) sitting in his front yard on the stone steps that lead up to his front door staring out into nothing. Sora would come by and join him now and then, just because. Sometimes they'd talk but there was usually just silence, not that any of them minded. They talked plenty at school with everyone else.

"I can't believe it's only been six days..." Riku sighed, clenching his fists and then un-clenching them.

"Find something to do other than this to pass time." Sora suggested, throwing a rock into the middle of the yard.

"Like what?" Riku cocked an eyebrow.

Sora shrugged. "I dunno. Watch T.V. or something."

"There's nothing good on anymore, it's all just a bunch of celebrity gossip crap." Riku shook his head, his silver hair falling over his shoulders.

"I'm sure Axel and Reno would keep you busy." Sora chuckled. "Ever since the school let them back in to finish their senor year they've created chaos! I think it's funny, the way they do things."

Riku laughed. "Yeah, they reak more havok among the staff than Roxas times 10!"

"Ha!" Sora pointed. "I got you to laugh!"

"_Yeah, yeah._" Riku elbowed Sora. "Whatever."

"Owwwww..." Sora whined.

"So... Do you think we'll win that last Blitz Ball game?" Riku asked, changing the subject.

"We'd better, we've never made it to the Bahama's before, this is the closest we've ever gotten." Sora laughed. "And... Well, I already know your planns for namine when we get there." Sora nudged Riku.

"I still have to come up with the munny..." Riku frowned, taking a big breath. (A/N: I hate how the Kh game spells money "munny" It's anoying)

"Get a job." Sora said. "That'll give you something to do all month."

"I guess." Riku shrugged.

"Don't forget to practice, though," Sora told, "I heard the team that we're facing for the last game is _really _tough."

"Really?" Riku asked. Up until now all the teams have been pretty much easy to beat. "Where are they from?"

"Traverse town."

**000**

Roxas stood in the middle of the hallway, staring at the poster on the wall that said "Tallent show!!!" like he'd been doing for five minutes now. Why it intruged him, he didn't have a clue. Usually he'd just ignore it. What was so interesting about a bunch of people embarrassing themselfs on stage in front of the whole school?

He continued to stare. The look on his face was absolutly priceless, he looked as though he were debating mentally whether or not he should give it a shot. He wasn't suddenly interested because Kim was in the tallent show every year, no, he could care less. What caught his attention was that the private school on the far end of Twighlight Town came to watch every year. Fa'an went to that school. This might be his chance to show Fa'an what he really thought about him. Only problem was that Roxas felt terribly ill preforming in front of a large crowd of people, unless it was skateboarding. He _knew_ he kicked ass at that. He didn't need public aproval.

_"Roxas!"_ Came a voice from one of the rooms down the halway. "Roxassssss!" It called again.

"Hn?" Roxas grunted, turning his head to the source of the noise.

"What are you doing in the middle of the hallway? Class started three minutes ago!" It was Cid, his fifth period math teacher, his favorite to anoy. "Get in here before I drag you!"

"Whatever." Roxas rolled his eyes.

Later in the day, when the bell rang signalling school was over, Roxas grabbed his things and threw his back pack over his shoulder. As he was about to enter the Blitz Ball Feild for more practice he noticed another Poster that said "Tryouts for the tallent show January 7th!" He made a face. Wasn't that today? He stood there for a second, deciding whether or not he should ditch practicing for now and go try and get a spot in the event.

He took a deep breath and dropped his things, heading back inside and towards the Gym where the comite was judging tryouts. He walked into the gym to find a whole line of people and three judges; "Mss. Barton (art teacher) Mss. Brosmore (English teacher) and Kairi. Of course Kairi was there.

People at the front door gave him a number and made him wait in the long line of people, which was mostly made up of girls. Roxas rolled his eyes and sighed, what was he getting himself into? This was gaaaaaaaaaay.

He dropped the number card and began to walk towards the exit of the gym, until a voice stopped him in his tracks.

_"Roxas?"_ Kairi had spotted him, and began to giggle. Roxas slowly turned around and took a deep breath as kairi started to wave. "What're you doing here!?" She laughed. "Trying out or something?"

"Was." Roxas corrected her. "Changed my mind."

"What were you planning on doing?" Kairi asked.

"Uh..." Roxas stratched his head. "I hadn't really thought about that part..."

"You can sing, right?" Kairi asked. "I've heard you sing before, remember that time at the mall when Axel and Reno made you sing karioke?"

"Ehh." Roxas made a face. "I don't think so."

"Oh, come on!" Kairi grinned evilly. "Scared I'm gonna make fun of you or something?"

"It's not that! I just don't want to!" Roxas defended himself. Scared... Of Kairi? AH HA!

"Please?" Kairi begged.

"Whatever..." Roxas stuffed him hands into his pockets. "What do I sing?"

"Um..." Kairi looked down and thought a moment. "I really like the red jumpsuit apparatus! Do you know them? You could sing one of their songs!"

Everyone in line started to get impationt with the two and began to huff. Kairi gave then all _the look_ and they shut up immidiatly.

"Uh..." Roxas was really uneasy. Might as well get this over with. "How about _part _of a song?"

Kairi shrugged. "Works for me." The judges bagan to get ready and then signaled Roxas to start. Roxas took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"_You're persecuting me, showing hypocrisy  
I have a remedy for your insecurity  
It's all the same, sadly  
Nobody works for free  
Am I the only one who realizes it's true_"

Kairi's jaw dropped. She wasn't really expecting Roxas to be this good. The rest of the judges, even Mss. brosmore who despised Roxas, watched in awe.

Roxas continued, No matter how dumb he felt.

"_Let your light shine through me  
Take this hate I can release  
Help me make the blind see  
Misery loves its company_"

Roxas stopped himself there. It took a second, but kairi began to clap, along with just about everyone there. Roxas wanted to get out of that gym soooo fast. The word "embarrased" didn't even _begin_ to cover it.

"You're in!" Kairi cheered. "Be here tomorrow to practice!"

"Wh-what?" Roxas balked. his pride suddenly shot sky high. he made it! Why he was so excited, he didn't know. Maybe it was because he was finally going to have the chance to show Fa'an what he did was wrong. Or, it could've just been his arrogant side talking. He loved it when he acompished these kinds of things.

**000**

The next day Roxas came back to the gym around the same time with the other people who made it. He didn't really know why he had to practice _singing_... That was stupid. The next few days He worked on pitch and the song that he wanted to sing, stuff like that. It was b oring and took a long time, but he dealed with it. After talent show practice, he'd practice Blitz Ball by himself in the feild for a few hours before going home late at night and crashing. He followed the same routine for a few days until the talent show was just a day or two away.

_January 12th, 12:30 pm. _

"So That's why you havn't been praticing with us!" Sora laughed. "You're too busy _singing_!"

"That's so dumb, why singing?" Wakka cocked an eyebrow. "That's not you, ya?"

"Why not skateboarding or something?" Tidus asked. "You'd have the whole school _begging_ for your autograph if you did that!"

"They already do that!" Roxas chuckled.

"Yeah right!" Sora rolled his eyes.

"It's not that bad that I'm singing. I mean, I don't really mind anymore." Roxas leaned back in his seat, sighing.

"Whatever, man." Tidus said. "Enjoy embarrasing yourslef."

Roxas elbowed him and scowled. "Shut-up!"

"What song?" Riku asked.

"I'm not telling." Roxas humfed.

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Don't let all this tallent show crap get in-between you and Blitz Ball practice, though. " Tidus warned.

"The team first, ya?" Wakka added.

"I _know_." Roxas huffed.

"I've practiced my guts out this week," Sora said, "I think I'm going to take a break today."

"No breaks!" Tidus and wakka yelled in unison.

"Alright, _alright_!" Sora made a face.

The bell rang, and lunch was over. Roxas went throught he rest of his day in a bad mood.

In-between 5th and 6th period, Riku headed to his locker for a text book for the first time all day. He dailed the combination and opened his locker and grabbed the heavy book. Just as he was about to slam the locker shut, he noticed the picture namine had put up in his locker of them. Riku took a second to stare at it before Sora grabbed him by the colar.

"Come on!" Sora pushed. "The bell's going to ring in, like, 5 seconds!"

"You could've let me shut my locker first!" Riku complained.

Itv was going to be a long two and a half weeks...

**000**

As soon as Riku was home, he slammed the door behind him and threw his backpack to the floor next to the wall and threw himself on the couch. He didn't bother turning on the T.V. He was too exauhsted to do a thing at the moment. All he wanted to do was rest. After a full day of school and Blitz Ball practice, he needed it.

He stared at the ceiling for a while before he began to doze off, thinking about tomorrow or the last Blitz Ball game, life in general. Since he'd really had nothing to do lately, Namine being gone and half of his friends being busy, he'd found a job that payed okay and worked whenever he wasn't sleeping or at school to pay for-you-know-what. At least the hard work made time go by a little faster. Being a host at a cafe wasn't exactly fun, but it worked.

Just before Riku shut his eyes and fell asleep on the couch, the phone began to ring, startling him awake again. He got up and grabbed the phone, holding it up to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Ah! thank GOD you picked up the phone, man, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! Where've you been, bro?" _It was just Kyle, Riku's brother.

"Uh, at school..." Riku tried not to laugh.

_"Oh... That makes sense. I thought you might be out goofing off with that chick of yours. Hey, how is she?"_

"I wouldn't know," Riku sighed, "She's in New York till Febuary."

_"Oh, that's a bummer." _

"Why'd you call, Kyle?" Riku questioned, leading against the wall.

_"Right," Kyle began, "I'm moving to Twighlight Town to stay at Dad's house for a while, figured getting myself back together there wouldn't hurt. Just called to tell you that. After that I'm buying the house in the city next to Twighlight Town that I showed you before, remember? It's for sale." _

Riku was almost afried to ask. "Wh-what about this house?"

_"Eh, you can keep it. It's already payed off anyways and i don't feel like selling it. Take care of my cat, will ya?" _

"You're joking," Riku laughed, Kyle must've thought he was some kind of idiot, "Nice try."

_"Huh? I'm not joking."_

"R-really?" Riku almost screamed. Loud. "Ah ha! Ha ha ha! Man, I owe you!"

_"You bet, bro." _

With that, they hung up and Riku pinched himself, just in case. The house... Was really his! He could do whatever with it now! It was _his_! He couldn't wait to tell Namine he already had his own house.

**000**

The next day was cold. It began to snow again, which was odd. It hadn't snowed for a few weeks, even though it was winter. (again, since when does it snow on a tropical island?)

Axel and Reno were late for school, as usual. They honestly didn't give a damn.

Around 4th period, Riku, Sora, and Kairi were working together on a project for class (all of them being partners- It was supposed to be a group of four but Namine's missing) until there was a loud _BOOM_ and a sudden red flash of light outside the school building. The red flash of light coming through the window caught everyone's attention and now they were all pushing each other to see what had happened. The bathroom building outside next to the feild was on fire and burning to ashes.

You could see Reno and Axel being dragged inside the building by their ears. The princapal was _mad._ Although, the rest of the school thought it was amusing and the laughter was heard from miles away.

Riku slapped his forehead, as soon as Axel and Reno were let back into the school they were _doomed_ to get kicked out again. He could see them taking their last year of high school over again for the third year.

"Those idiots!" Sora laughed, holding his stomach as he did so. kairi was laughing with him, about to lose her balance.

_"Teachers, please have your classes released from school for the day, there's a minor problem. Thank you." _Came a voice from the office on the speakers attached to the walls. Everyone left and headed for home or for Twighlight Town, whatever.

Reno and Axel were probably getting their ears chewed off by now.

"Please, tell me," The Principal sighed, "What in the heavens possesed you to blow up that building?"

Reno shrugged. "I dunno."

"I'm with Reno," Axel chuckled, pointing.

The principal sighed.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **OMG I got this done in one day XD It would have been longer but I'm busy tomorrow and leave the day after that for camp, and yesterday my arms went numb! 0

Anywho...

AWARDS

Top reviewer: **The darkside Incarnate!!!! **_WHOOOTTTTTTT!_

2nd place: **Irohuro!!!**

3rd place: **Hanakitsunechan7!!**

4th place:**Naminecrys4Riku! **_-sniff...-_

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

**Q:**What bout alaska and a run-away Nammah?? **A: **Alaska-- School trip. Runaway Nammah-- You'll see.

**Q:**Why doesnt Brittany trust Riku? **A: **Because she's... Brittany.

**Q: **James is letting her stay there? **A:** Yep. James trusts Namine (for the most part)

**Q: **Alaska? **A: **Yes. Alaska.

**Q:** Why couldn't riku keep his big mouth shut?? **A: **I'd like to ask the same thing.

**Q: **Why can't Kim leave him? **A: **Fa'an? She already did, he's just like her, in away. He obsesses.

**Q: **Sora's supposed to be the single minded one? **A: **haha.

**Q: **Are you sure that Brittany isn't gonna turn out to be a ?? **A: **Yep.

**Q:** So you play Gaiaonline? **A: **Uh-huh. My name is... Cracker-Jacks000 XD

**Q:** What is riku gonna do without namine?? **A: **Work.

**Q:**Hayner and Olette, surely they should get some face time. Please? Pretty please? **A: **Give me an idea for them and I'll write it. I don't know what to write for them yet.

**Q: **More KairiXSora moments!? More ROXAS AND KIM MOMENTS!? **A: **You bet.

**Q:**Did she just call Riku a mutt? **A: **:( Yes.

**Q: **Cults? **A: **huh?

Buh-bye

I. Am. SO. Tired!

BTW

The camp I'm leaving to for a week to see Ethan, I don't think I've told anyone this before. remember the camp the kh charecters went to in the first story? yeah. i modled it after the one I'm going to monday. Cool, huh? Just thought i'd let everyone know.

Don't forget to review! I want lots to read when I come back!

Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday -Cracker-Jacks000


	44. Friends?

**A/N:** I'm back from camp :D Yay! And happy 4th of July:3 I'll tell everyone how camp was in the last authors note, I want to tell everyone and anyone all about it. I had a BLAST!

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot, I don't own the kh charecters, God owns me. I don't own the songs ether.

**P.S.** Don't forget to look at the new pics of the charecters on the fan site :3

**CHAPTER 44**

_**"Please, tell me," The Principal sighed, "What in the heavens possesed you to blow up that building?"**_

_**Reno shrugged. "I dunno."**_

_**"I'm with Reno," Axel chuckled, pointing.**_

_**The principal sighed.**_

The talent show was tonight. Yes, in_ just a few hours_. To be honest, Roxas was freaked. Not stoked, freaked. It didn't help at all that he couldn't find Kim, ether. He hadn't seen any of her in... about a week. Not that he cared, or anything. He just hadn't gotten the chance to warn her about the song he was singing and about Fa'an and yada yada yada. But it was okay, really. Kim probably had just gotten over the whole 'issue' anyways. No big deal. It's not like he was going to say any names.

He just hoped Kim wouldn't hit him when it was over. She's specifically told him to stay out of it, and it was none of his business. But who could trust _Roxas?_ He couldn't even trust himself most of the time!

Roxas shrugged it off and continued to play with his fingers and tap his feet against the floor while he sat at his desk, staring at the clock. The more he watched it, the slower time seemed to move. Kim hadn't shown up to school yet, Roxas noticed, because she wasn't in first period. Roxas would've freaked out even more if he hadn't overheard one of Kim's teachers saying she'd show up later because she'd slept in.

The bell rang after what seemed like an eternity, and Roxas grabbed his things and shot down the hallways to his second period class.

Making sure he was the first in class, he purposely took the desk next to the one Kim would sit at near the middle instead of where he'd usually sit; all the way in the back.

He waited impatiently while the classroom began to fill up with other students, still no sign of Kim after 3 minutes. He made sure nobody sat in the seat next to him, so pretty soon all the other desks were taken. Kim wouldn't have a choice, at this point. Roxas sighed deeply when the bell rang and Kim hadn't shown up, and the teacher began her lecture. Before too much time passed, though, Kim walked through the door with her books in one hand and a note in the other. The teacher took the note and pointed Kim towards the only empty seat; next to Roxas. The look on Kim's face almost made Roxas bust up with laughter. She looked pained.

She slowly made her way over and sat down silently, avoiding Roxas's stare. All she wanted was to just get this over with.

Class began again after she was seated and Roxas didn't bother her for a while, but tried to pay attention. When all else failed, he quietly took out a piece of paper and wrote a note on it that read: _I forgot to tell you something. I'm in the talent show. I'm singing._ Roxas kept it simple. He folded it and tried to get Kim's attention, and failed. He tried again but still got nothing. Then he kicked her from the side, which worked. She turned to him and glared coldly, as if to ask 'WHAT?!'

He handed her the note and she took it, he expression turning into a puzzled one as she took it. She read it and looked annoyed again; writing back and tossing the note back onto Roxas's desk when the teacher faced the chalkboard. _So?_ She wrote.

Roxas took his pen and replied; _I just wanted to tell you that the song was about… You know, Fa'an. I can't wait to make him feel horrible for doing what he did._

As soon as Kim read what he wrote back her eye's widened and she turned to him, opened her mouth and was about to say something when the teacher stopped them.

"Passing notes?" the teacher asked from the front of the classroom. Every student in the room turned to look.

Roxas froze and didn't say anything, urging for Kim to.

"Just taking notes on the lecture." Kim said, and Roxas took a deep breath. That was too close. The principal had told Roxas earlier that if he got into any more trouble before the next game, he wouldn't get to play it. And if he didn't play and they won, no Bahamas for him.

"I see." The teacher said before she continued and class was over. As soon as that bell rang Kim grabbed Roxas by the arm before he could make a break for it.

"_NO_!" Kim shrieked at him, catching the attention of a few people.

"I'm still doing it!" Roxas seemed proud of himself. "That jerk's going to think about it for years! The song I'm singing will get him right here." Roxas pointed to his chest.

Kim ignored how dumb he was being and pressed on. "It's not that! Fa'an isn't-"

"I'm not going to quit! I'm singing that song to show him he's wrong and that's it!" Roxas argued.

_"AH!"_ Kim screamed. "You're not listening to me!"

"What's there to listen to?" Roxas asked. "You can't convince me to drop out."

"It's not that!" Kim said before Roxas ignored her and walked off, deciding to leave before he became angry himself. "_Roxas!_ Listen!" But Roxas had already left her alone in the room. Kim stood there for a short moment and sighed, grabbed her things, and ignored the teacher standing at the front of the classroom who'd watched the whole thing.

Kim wasn't all concerned that Roxas couldn't just let her problems go, even though she was still ticked that he didn't know how to stay out of her business. What she was so distressed about was that he was doing what he was doing for nothing. She, somewhere in that cold heart of hers, appreciated what he was doing, but knew he'd be crushed when he found out that Fa'an wasn't coming. Fa'an moved. If he were coming, Kim probably would've helped Roxas rub it in his face. She didn't really know why she was so concerned, but continued trying to get Roxas's attention throughout the day. He ignored her every time.

She just gave up after a while, deciding she'd tell him when there was a chance he'd actually listen to her. She was boiling about the whole thing all day long, why couldn't he just let her tell him!? He was too busy acting high and mighty to pay any attention to her at all after a while. Her frustration turned into depression slowly as the talent show neared. She'd just dropped the subject and there Roxas was, about to sing this dramatic song (whatever it was) to make Fa'an feel sorry for her, and Fa'an wasn't even going. And after that, she'd probably get no sleep for weeks, just like it had been when she was dating Fa'an. She would've been so much better off without his "help."

She knew something bad was about to happen within the next 5 hours.

**000**

Sora had been thinking a lot lately. Not about himself, but about Kairi. After Hawaii, he'd felt a little weird. He almost felt bad. About what, he couldn't quite put his finger on. He just knew it had to do something with Kairi. He thought about if for a few days and found he was more confused than ever. What could his odd feeling possibly be coming from? It was when Kairi had come to his house an hour before school to eat breakfast with him that it hit him on the forehead. He'd bonded with Kairi while they were on vacation in Hawaii that he just missed the attention, was all. He felt bad because at that point, when Kairi had come over on her own on oddest of days just to see him at 7 a.m. in the morning, because he knew she felt the same. With all his training, he'd probably only gotten to talk to her once or twice in the past week.

So, he ate lunch alone with Kairi toady instead of with the guys. He walked her to school and sat next to her in every class they had together. He even passed her cute notes and was just about as flirtatious as a boy could get for a while. He was bent on spending as much time as possible with Kairi before he had to train some more when school was over. She deserved the attention. If anyone knew how she felt, it was probably Riku. The poor boy wasn't going to see Namine in a month! And Riku spent more time with Namine that he'd ever spent with anyone! Sora couldn't imagine the way Riku would look by months end.

"I can't believe the last Blitz Ball game is tomorrow!" Kairi exclaimed. "You've trained so hard. I can't imagine how hard you'll have to train before the Olympics, or whatever you call it, in the Bahamas. I feel bad for you."

"Actually," Sora started, "We haven't won yet. And if we do, the whole team won't have to practice much at all. Maybe an hour or two a few days a week. It's about gaining energy and eating carbs, or something like that. Our coach is weird."

Kairi giggled and Sora smiled at her and hesitated to grab her hand before they entered their next class. He was always nervous making all the moves. "Chicken" wouldn't even cover it. But she did it again, she grabbed his hand instead before he gained the courage to grab hers. Sometimes, he really felt pathetic.

Kairi smiled at him and Sora felt even worse. He sighed deeply and Kairi's smile turned into a worried gaze as she poked at his arm with her free hand. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," Sora tried grinning, "just thinking."

"Ah..." Kairi hummed. "About what?"

Sora was silent for a minute, pondering about what he should say while Kairi stared at him. "You know what," Sora started, "don't worry about it."

Kairi made a face at him. "You never tell me anything, do you?"

Sora's stomach dropped for a second. "Well, u-uh..." Sora scratched the back of his head. "I-uh... I..."

"It's okay." Kairi started as they walked into their classroom and sat near the back of the classroom. "Not like I was interested, anyways."

Sora sighed miserably. He had to come up with something to make them both feel better. He made a mental note telling himself to never ignore Kairi for even just a week ever again. Not like he meant to in the first place. He'd never really thought about it.

"Kairi," He said, getting her attention back again, "I'm sorry."

"I told you, it's okay."

"No, it's not about that, it's-" The bell rang, cutting Sora off. Sora took a deep breath in disappointment but Kairi waved in front of his face to get his attention again.

"Tell me later, okay?" She whispered.

Sora nodded and flashed his cheesy grin for two seconds before the teacher began to speak.

After class Sora walked Kairi to her next class before he went to his own. But before he left she grabbed his arm and began to laugh. Sora made a face. "What?" He asked.

"If you don't win that game," Kairi warned, "you have NO idea how much you'll owe me."

Sora laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Why he thought her warning was so funny, he hadn't a clue. Kairi was confused at this point.

"Sora?" Kairi asked.

"S-sorry," Sora said in-between laughs, "you're right, I'll owe you big time."

Kairi shook her head at Sora and let go of his arm. "And promise me that after the game tomorrow that we'll go out and do something, just the two of us!"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I promise."

Kairi smiled then and left into her class room, waving goodbye.

Kairi had nothing to worry about, he'd get her that vacation to the Bahamas and flood her in the attention she wanted after the game was over. After he warning, for some reason, Sora's bad mood turned into a great one. Girls weren't alone, sometime's guys didn't understand themselves ether.

000

"Um..." Selphie scratched the back of her head. "What the heck is this supposed to be?"

"Well, I spend, like, 5 hours on it! You could be a little more grateful!" Tidus complained, crossing his arms and huffing.

"You know, chocolate would've wor-" Selphie cut herself off when the look on Tidus's face turned into a sad one. She sighed, picked up the 'piece of junk' Tidus had hade for her and hugged it, smiling. Tidus looked confused. "Thank you very much." She laughed through her teeth. "I love it."

Tidus couldn't help but laugh. Selphie's smile was enough for him, for now. "You're welcome." His poor attempt in getting her attention worked. He convinced himself a few days before that he should treat Selphie more like his girlfriend, because, she kinda was. Even if they hardly spent any time together at all. He might as well embrace what they had.

**000**

All the students in the school, besides those in the talent show, were assembled in the GYM for the last period of the day. The Bleachers were up and students were assigned seats by their homerooms. The stage curtain remained closed for a while for everyone to get ready while the students filled up the GYM. Kim wasn't in the show this year, because she didn't try out this year. Roxas didn't care though, it just meant she'd get a better view of him when he beat Fa'an up mentally.

The talent show started shortly after everyone was crammed into the GYM, and the people who made it began to perform in order. Roxas was third to perform, and second to perform was on stage right about now. Roxas made sure the band he'd gotten together to play the guitar and drums, whatever, was all together before they went on stage. Taking a deep breath once the act before him was over and his name was called onto the stage, he proceeded with his band and they set up quickly in front of the whole school. Looking out into the crowed, Roxas had never realized how big their school was. There must've been thousands of students.

He took the mike in his hand and his band signaled him that they were ready, Roxas nodded, and spoke into the mike before they began playing.

"H-hey," He laughed nervously. Kim smacked her forehead, trying not to think about how much of an idiot Roxas was. "I'm Roxas, and I'm going to sing a song. It's dedicated to..." Roxas paused for a second and tried to look for Fa'an but couldn't see him with he light shining in his eye. "Uh... You know who you are."

With that the band started to play the music and Roxas waited for a second until it was his cue to open his mouth and... Sing. In front of two schools. Oh boy...

_"Hey girl you know you drive me crazy  
one look puts the rhythm in my hand.  
Still I'll never understand why you hang around  
I see what's going down."_

Roxas was even more surprised with himself than he'd been before. He guessed that all that "stupid training" paid off. The whole school was silent when he continued.

_"Cover up with make up in the mirror  
tell yourself it's never gonna happen again  
you cry alone and then he swears he loves you."_

He caught Kim out of the corner of his eye, sitting near the front, closer to the stage than most people sitting with the rest of her class. She didn't look too happy. She didn't look mad, just a little... He wished he knew. Her expression looked like a mix of things. He was surprised he could see her from that distance.

_"Do you feel like a man  
when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down, a new life she has found."_

He looked away from her for a moment and focused on the rest of the crowd, who sat still where they were, totally stunned. Even Cid was dumbstruck. Roxas's pride shot sky high as he continued, louder than before.

He was completely sure at this point that Fa'an was the guiltiest person on the face of the planet. He could just picture his face right now... Thoughts of what Kim had gone through because of Fa'an made him even more outraged and into the song. And as soon as he got the chance to get close to Fa'an, he'd really pay. This was nothing.

_"Do you feel like a man  
when you push her around?  
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?  
Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's going to end  
as your lies crumble down a new life she has found."_

Roxas looked back to where he remembered Kim was sitting and she wasn't there. He shook his head and screamed into the microphone further. Every second that passed he got even more into it and angry at Fa'an. He almost jumped off the stage right there and attacked Fa'an, wherever he was.

_"Face down in the dirt she says, this doesn't hurt she says I finally had enough."._

Roxas remembered the way Kim looked the entire Vacation: miserable. Somewhere, Roxas had unknowingly become just a little protective over Kim, even though they were far from even being friends. Roxas was just the kind of person to really take things like this seriously, whether or not it was is business.

By this point, Roxas was boiling. Why were some people that messed up? What was wrong with the world? If it were up to Roxas, it'd all stop. This just wasn't right. He felt bad again for Kim, who he knew was probably really upset at this point, who probably felt worse about the situation than he did, considering she was the victim. But Roxas wasn't about to stop now. Fa'an would get it. Leave it to Roxas to get so completely obsessed and wrapped up in something like this.

_"Face down in the dirt she says, this doesn't hurt she says I finally had enough..."_

The song ended and it was silent for a second before the whole room erupted in applause. Roxas ignored the praise from his new fans, though, he was more concerned about Fa'an getting the point or not, or where Kim had gone. His band soaked up the glory while Roxas ran behind stage and got permission to search the crowd while the rest of the people behind stage prepared and performed over the next half hour.

He didn't find her, and began to get worried when he didn't see Fa'an anywhere ether. He ignored his teachers and raced out the doors of the GYM and searched the entire school, which was empty everywhere else. When it was obvious Kim wasn't inside the school the bell rang and the talent show was over, people left, and the school was empty again while Roxas just stood in the middle of the hallway.

Roxas left the school and sighed, but didn't give up. He hoped that Kim and Fa'an weren't alone anywhere, because they were both missing. The last thing he wanted was for Kim to visit the hospital again. He was sure that she'd grown tired of people asking her what happened after she got back before, because she was horribly bruised and looked ill.

He finally found Kim, without Fa'an (thank God), sitting on the ground with her back against the school building in the back of the school next to the Blitz Ball field. She had her knees up to her chest and her head was buried in her arms, back hunched over and her long, blackish/brownish hair fell over what you could see of her face. She didn't look okay.

Roxas had never seen her this down before, and never thought he would. She looked like a real wreck. She was so caught up in how upset she was that she didn't notice Roxas walk up next to her. After a while she did, but she simply ignored him. That idiot had to make her feel just that much more pathetic about the situation she was caught in. She knew he didn't mean for her to be the one hurt, but she hated him even more for it. She wished Roxas could just leave her alone.

"Kim?" Roxas asked after a while, getting down on one knee next to her.

"Leave me alone." Kim mumbled.

"Hey, are you-"

_"Just go away!"_ Kim barked, cutting him off. She really didn't want to deal with him at the moment. "I've had enough, you've made your point, now leave!"

Roxas felt horrible. This time, it was his fault. Not Fa'an's. Roxas got up and left her alone like she asked, not looking back when he walked away. He needed just a little time to think to himself, too. He just may have made things worse for her. No... He did make things worse. Again. He felt like that's all he ever did anymore; run around all day screwing things up. He didn't feel so full of pride anymore.

As he made his way back into the school to grab his things before he left, he noticed Kim's book was lying at the entrance to the GYM. He picked it up and stared at the cover for a second, realizing it was Kim's. He carried it with him to his locker and put it in his back pack, thinking she must have dropped it or something. When he didn't feel so bad, he'd return it to her.

**000**

Roxas sat on the edge of his couch, staring endlessly at the cover to the book he'd picked up. He'd opened the book to look at the pictures once but that was no good, there wasn't many pictures. Why anyone would want to read a book this think and with hardly any pictures was beyond him.

Roxas put the book down next to him on an end table and leaned back into the cushions on the couch, gazing up at the ceiling. It had been at least 5 hours since the whole thing with Kim and he still couldn't get her off his mind. How was she doing right now? Is she okay? Maybe she's looking for her book... What was she doing right now? Is she still upset?

Roxas still couldn't get why he cared so much. You'd think that he could care less; Kim being his enemy and all.

Come to think of it... They hadn't really fought since Hawaii. But then again, he hadn't seen her much ether.

The more Roxas thought about Kim, the more worried he became. He'd never thought in a million years that he'd see Kim with her face buried in her arms on the ground... _Crying?_ No, she wasn't crying. _Was she?_

Roxas couldn't take it anymore, whether Kim liked it or not he was going over to her house to apologize, even though she made it clear she didn't want anything to do with him at all.

He grabbed the book, just in case he needed a good reason to go all the way to that side of Twilight Town, grabbed a jacket and left.

As he walked towards Axel and Reno's house to get a ride from one of them, he noticed it was starting to get dark outside. He guessed the time was somewhere around 8 or 9 pm, meaning he'd be at Kim's house somewhere around 10 or 11 pm. He must be insane.

"Please?" Roxas begged when Reno opened the door. Axel peaked over Reno's shoulder and saw Roxas, and he grinned.

"What now, Roxas?" Axel asked, amused by the desperate look on Roxas's face.

"I need a ride to the other side of town to Kim's house. It's really important!" Roxas explained.

"Kim?" Reno cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you two hated each other."

"_Come on!"_ Roxas pushed.

"Alright, alright." Reno sighed.

"I'm coming!" Axel jumped.

On the way there Axel noticed the thick book in Roxas's right hand and asked, "What's that?"

"It's Kim's." Roxas told.

"Is that why you need to see her so bad?" Reno questioned.

"Uh... Sort of." Roxas shrugged.

"Can i burn it?" Axel asked.

"_No_." Roxas made a face.

"You're no fun anymore." Axel huffed.

Roxas rolled his eyes. Sometime after, Reno's car pulled over on the side of the road opposite to Kim's house and let Roxas out before Reno and Axel said goodbye and drove off back home. Roxas took a deep breath and grabbed the book tightly, proceeding towards the front door. He walked up the stone steps that lead to the front door and stood for a second, staring at the door with an uneasy expression.

Here goes nothing...

He knocked on the door three times and waited for somebody to answer. He heard footsteps approaching from inside and took a step back from the door before it opened. He almost died when the person that opened the door was Kim's father. The big, tall, mean looking man cocked an eyebrow at Roxas. "Yes?" He asked.

"I-is K-K-Kim there?" Roxas asked quietly, trying not to seem scared. It probably wasn't working.

"Why?"

"I, uh, I..." Roxas scratched the back of his head. "I'm returning her book. She left it at the school."

"Mmm..." Kim's father examined Roxas closely for a moment, and then shrugged. "Whatever." He said before heading back inside, leaving the door open while he searched for his daughter. "Hold on a second."

While Roxas waited, he peaked into the house through the open door a examined all the pictures hung up on the wall in the hallway. That's all he could really see from where he was. Roxas looked down at the book in his hand and then at the ground for a second before looking up again and sighing. He'd began to get impatient.

Just as he thought Kim was never coming, he heard her footsteps in the room just beyond the hallway and heard her voice. He listened to her talk to her father for a second before she entered the hallway. Roxas hit somewhat behind the door until she opened the door the rest of the way, looked up, saw Roxas, and froze. When her father said "some boy" was waiting at the door for her, she'd never expected Roxas. What was he doing all the way over here?

Kim stepped backwards, back into the house and almost shut the door until Roxas grabbed the end of it and forced it open again. "Wait!"

"What do you want, Roxas?" Kim said in a rather sick, ill sounding tone. She wasn't happy to see him at all.

"You..." Roxas sighed, giving up on what he was about to say before. He handed her the book. "You left your book at school."

Kim took the book and set it on the corner table that was next to the door in the corner, in between the opening to the door and the wall. She ignored it for a second. "Was that it? You came all the way over here just to tell me that?" Kim seemed more annoyed now, and almost shut the door again.

"H-hey!" Roxas grabbed the door and forced it open for a second time.

"Just get it over with and leave me alone." Kim shook her head and sighed.

"I-I... I..." Roxas was horrible at apologies. Just horrible. He hated those two, simple words.

Kim cocked an eyebrow.

Roxas took a deep breath and forced the words out of his mouth.

_"I'm sorry."_

They both stood there for a moment, silent. Kim stared at Roxas and Roxas simply ignored her gaze, looking back down at the ground with uneasiness. It was just about as awkward as it could get, at this point.

Finally, Kim stood up straight and took a step or two closer to Roxas, closing the front door behind her as she stood in front of Roxas, getting his attention as soon as the door behind them was closed. He gave her a questioning look just before she smacked him so hard across his face that the sound echoed for a few seconds around the town and people turned on their lights, looking out their windows in wonder at what the sound was or where it came from.

Roxas froze in the position he was now currently in, hands out at his sides, face turned to the side in shock. He stayed like that for at least five minutes before he lifted his palm to the side of his face where Kim struck him, taken back a bit. She'd hit him before, but never this hard. His cheek burned and stung, he could feel it swelling up under his hand.

"_Never_ do it again." Kim said harshly, giving Roxas a glare that sent chills up and down his back. This was the angriest he'd ever seen her. She was pissed beyond human limits. Roxas flinched when she turned to move again, afraid she might hit him again or something worse. He closed his eyes tightly, awaiting any other punishment she was about to give, hunching over with fear. No doubt he'd deserve it, though. This was the worst he'd ever screwed up. He wouldn't be surprised if Kim never talked to him again after this.

When Kim had done nothing, Roxas opened his eyes again in confusion as he saw Kim standing still, fists clenched tightly and her head down, hair falling down her face and back, and to the sides. She shook in the cold breeze that passed by for a second before Roxas spoke. "Kim?"

Kim looked up again suddenly and Roxas flinched, closing his eyes again. But just he thought she was about to Hit him again, she literally threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing so tightly that Roxas almost couldn't breath. Roxas opened his eyes again immediately, shocked by her actions.

Time came to a complete stand-still. What the hell was she doing? Wasn't she just furious?

He swallowed. "K-Kim?" He stared at Kim in amazement when she continued to hug him, only tightening her grip.

"You're never going to quit bothering me, are you?" She mumbled into his chest, taking a second before he laughed to take a deep breath.

Roxas hugged her back, though he was pretty confused. He laughed quietly anyways, a bit glad she was hugging him instead of hitting him again. Still shocked, but relieved. This, he could handle. Oddly, he wasn't bothered at all by her sudden embrace. Usually, if she ever did this, he'd probably run away or something stupid like that. he didn't mind it, right now. He'd probably question it later, though.

It lasted a little longer than Roxas expected. He was surprised that Kim wasn't letting go. It got silent again and the both stood there for a while, the awkwardness leaving as time passed on. Roxas still couldn't get how Kim could bring herself to embrace her enemy, the person she was supposed to hate, but he pushed the thought aside and just focused on the hug.

"Do you need a ride home?" Kim asked a while after their "moment" ended and she'd let him inside her house. They were both sitting on the couch in mostly silence again, Roxas wished it'd stop. There was nothing to really talk about, though. Kim, the bitch from hell, just did... You know what. He didn't even have to say it. Things couldn't get any more confusing for him, or he might blow up.

"Uh, y-yeah..." Roxas played with his fingers, ignoring the question he wanted to ask her... What was the hug for?

"I'll drive you," Kim stood up, leading Roxas back outside with her. "I'll be back in an hour, dad!" She yelled at her father before the door closed behind them.

Kim got into her car with Roxas and was just about to pull out of the driveway when Roxas spoke. "Your house is huge." He commented.

"Uh... Thanks?" Kim said as she began to drive down the street.

"So..." Roxas stared out the window at the houses they were passing.

"Don't ask." Kim sighed.

Roxas made a face, was she talking about the thing that just happened?

"And..." Kim started again. Roxas looked at her quizzically. "I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Uh..." Roxas rubbed the side of his face. "I kind of deserved it."

"Yup."

Roxas looked at her again. She wasn't supposed to agree with him! "H-hey!"

Kim laughed. It was probably one of the first times he'd ever seen her do such a thing. Usually Kim was all frowns and scowls. In a way... he kind of liked her laugh.

A while later, Kim pulled into the drive way to Roxas's house and stopped the car, waiting for him to get out. "This is your house, right?" She asked.

"Yeah..." Roxas reached for the car door. "Bye."

"Bye." Kim said, not bothering to look at him as he got out of the car.

"Oh," Roxas stopped her, leaning over and pocking his head through the car door window, "and thanks for the ride home."

"No problem," Kim said, looked at him, and forced a smile, "what're friends for?"

Before Roxas could question her she drove off and left him there. He watched her car leave until it disappeared. He scratched the back of his head. _**Friends?**_ Was she serious? Was this some joke?

He thought about it for a second and grinned weakly. This would be one odd friendship.

If that's what he called it.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** I think that was a long enough chaper :3

haha

And here it goes... Roxas and Kim are finally "friends." I'm warning you though, it won't really seem like it for a while. Those two keep fighting XD Lol.

**REVIEW!**

Awards

Top reviewer:**Jakall Alivair!!!!**

2nd place:**The Darkside Incarnate!!!**

3rd place:**Irohuro!! **_Thanks for the ideas! ;D_

4th place:**XFireFistAceX!**

How was my trip to camp?

Absolutely amazing! I got to see Ethan (heehee, who admitted to his friends that he liked me a while ago) and I even have a new big brother now! His name is Tyler, he's really nice. We bonded like brother and sister right away and now we're out "second family." haha. I have a lot of new friends now, too. Like Elijah. He's cool :3 And Ethan looks even better this year. I REALLY missed him. Ethan and I have been long-distance best friends for... 3 years now! Oh my gasp! Lol, camp was a blast. WAY too much happened for me to tell you right here and now. Oh, and some advice: "don't make purple." it's a joke between Ethan, Eli, Tyler and I XD Guys are blue, girls are pink... you get it.

haha, there was this six inch rule at camp, and whenever tyler or Ethan would give me a hug, they'd go "6 inches..." so then they'd hug me and scream "extreme violet!" haha.

If you add me to your myspace, you get to see pictures I took. :)

BYE  
  
REVIEW! I worked hard on this chapter (it's a bit longer than usual XD thank god) and it took forever to find someone to edit it for me too! (thank you kenshinroks2111!)

See you in the next update :)

Don't make purple! -Cracker-jacks000 


	45. Blitz Ball

**A/N:** I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter! hah... Any who... Enjoy!

**Oh! Oh! Oh!** I forgot to tell everyone, during the Bahaman's (Ch 50-57) it's nothing but pure fun, fluff, and out-of-controllness. :3 They need to act like... Teenagers again for a while XD WAIT till you see it. The trip to the Bahamas will be _insaneeeeeeee_. Haha, just like old times :D

Riku's in this chapter, don't worry. X3

**Disclaimer:** _-glares-  
_

**CHAPTER 45**

_**"No problem," Kim said, looked at him, and forced a smile, "what're friends for?"  
**_

_**Before Roxas could question her she drove off and left him there. He watched her car leave until it disappeared. He scratched the back of his head. Friends? Was she serious? Was this some joke?  
**_

_**He thought about it for a second and grinned weakly. This would be one odd friendship.  
**_

_**If that's what he called it.**_

"Wow..." Kairi tried not to laugh. "So... Tidus made _that_ for you?"  
"Yeah..." Selphie stared at the wooden box..."thing" with the word _Selphie_ carved onto the top.

"That's so sweet of him!" Olette smiled sweetly. "I wish Hayner would make me something."

"It feels kinda weird... Ya'know?" Selphie sighed. "I mean... It doesn't really_ feel_ like we're dating or anything... But lately he's been trying to get my attention a lot. Like, he passed me a note in the middle of class the other day."

"We pass you notes all the time!" Kairi made a face.

"But that's different!" Selphie whined.

Kairi and Olette laughed. "Do you actually_ like_ Tidus? You know, like-like?"

Selphie looked down at the box and stared at it for a second. "I guess... Yeah..."

"Then you should give him attention back." Olette suggested.

"Sure," Selphie shook her head, "whatever."

Suddenly, the bell rang and school was about to begin, so the girls left to their 1st period classes and waved goodbye. It'd be a busy day, that was for sure... Advertising the school dance, the last Blitz Ball game, _another worthless test in English..._

That reminded Selphie, she forgot to study...

**000**

Kairi and Olette dashed from hallway to hallway during lunch helping the ASB put up posters on the wall for the school dance that was coming up in just a few days.

The poster looked something like this:

_SCHOOL DANCE!  
Date: January 13th.  
Buy your tickets at the office!_

The posters were colored violet and decorated with little shapes like stars and hearts. It was kind of lame, but you really couldn't expect much out of a bunch of grumpy teachers.

Kairi was really excited about it, though, because she already knew she was going with Sora. He'd bought both tickets for them already and everything! All Kairi really had to do was go out into Twighlight Town and find a dress. She was a bit sad that Olette, Selphie, and herself would be going without Namine, though. She'd be missed. Not like she wasn't already.

Kairi hummed to herself when they were coming close to being finished and the Lunch hour was almost over. Thoughts of getting to spend a whole night with Sora in just a few days made her heart race. She was excited beyond words. So much so, that she was dancing down the hallways without really thinking about it, or caring about who was watching.

They finished just in time; as soon as the last poster was put up the bell rang and lunch was over. Kairi and Olette grabbed their things and headed to their next class together since they had that class together. They sat in the front, as usual, while most of the other students chose to sit in he back of the class and sleep.

_Teenagers..._

"So you're going with Sora?" Olette asked Kairi, who was staring off into space with dreamy eyes.  
Kairi looked at Olette and made a face. "Well, _duh_."

Olette giggled.

"You're going with hanger, right?" Kairi asked, just 'cause.

Olette shrugged. "I dunno."

"You don't know?" Kairi gave olette a look. "Why not?"

"Well," Olette looked down at her desk and tapped the hard, wooden surface with her fingers, "he hasn't really asked me if I wanted to go with him yet."

"_Oooooh_." Kairi nodded. "I'm sure he will."

Olette smiled at Kairi warmly, and then the ball rang a second time, signaling class had begun.

**000**

It was 5th period when Riku had gotten called down to the office for an important phone call. He was worried, because, well, who wouldn't be? Who would purposly call him while he was in the middle of school? He hoped it wasn't anything serious.

When Riku reached the office, the nurse lead him into her own room, which was small, and handed him the phone before she sat at her desk and continued whatever she was doing before.

"H-hello?" Riku asked, a little uneasy. He_ really_ hoped someone didn't die again. Kyle and his friends... He didn't even want to think about it.

_"RIKUUUUU!"_ The voice on the other line rejoiced. _"Oh, you have NO IDEA how much I miss you!"  
_

"N-namine!?" Riku exclaimed. Te nurse turned around and looked at him funny. "H-hold on." Riku said before putting his hand over the phone and facing the nurse. "Do you think I could talk, like, _alone_?"

The nurse sighed and got up, reached for the door, and left. (A/N: Riku kicked the nurse out of her own office XD)

_"What was that?"_ Namine asked.

"Doesn't matter." Riku was about to scream with joy. It was really Namine! "How'd you get them to-"

_"I told then I was your sister."_ Namine giggled. _"Haha."_

"I can't believe it..." Riku's heart was pounding so hard, it felt as though it were going to explode. "how'd you get the school's number?"

_"What..."_ Namine said in a kind of... Disapointed tone. _"Not one 'I miss you too' or 'how're you doing'?"_

"Namine..." Riku smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and then he laughed.

_"What's so funny?"_ Namine gawked.

"Of course I miss you!" Riku exclaimed. "I'm just surprised. I've been thinking about you every day, you know."

_"Riku!"_ Namine giggled. _"So how's everyone else?"_

"Fine..." Riku thought for a second. "Yeah, they're doing great."

_"Cool."_ Namine said. _"It's... "Interesting" here."  
_

"Do you like it?" Riku asked.

_"No."_

"Oh." There was a pause.

_"I miss you."_ Namine repeated.

"Me too..." Riku took a deep breath.

"You've got to hurry!" The nurse peaked back into the room for a second. "You have to get back to class soon."

"Yeah, hold on." Riku rolled his eyes.

_"Hey,"_ Namine started, _"You know what the cool part about being over here is? I don't have to go to school. My grandma's not going to make me."  
_

"So what're you doing all day long?" Riku asked.

_"Watching T.V."_ Namine giggled.

_Figures..._ Riku thought to himself. He smiled again and was about to say something before Namine cut him off.

_"I should probably go... Y'know, before I get you in trouble or my grandma catches me talking to you."_ Namine sighed.

"Yeah," Riku made sure the nurse wasn't listening, "I guess I'll see you in a few weeks."

_"Mmm Hmm."_ Namine hummed. _"Bye, Riku. And don't forget about that surprise you promised me!"_

"I won't," Riku laughed, "don't worry."

There was another silence, not a long one, but Riku hated it. He'd gone through two weeks without her now and he had nothing else to say? He felt hopeless.

_"I love you."_ Came Namine's voice again softly.

"I-" Before Riku could finish the nurse barged back into the room and ordered Riku to get off the phone. Riku sighed, and was about to say good-bye again but namine had already hung up.

As soon as Riku reached his 5th period class, the bell rang again. He walked into the classroom anyways to grab his things and explain to his teacher why it took so long. Of course, he made something up. If he said he was talking to his girlfriend, only God knows how long he'd be suspended.

Oddly, he only missed Namine more at that point. His chest ached as he continued through the day, and he could not stop thinking about their phone call, mentally slapping himself for not getting the phone number to her Grandmothers house. It's not like James would pick up the phone if he called anyways; after Namine got to New York safely and he talked to her Grandmother, he left again back to his home.

Riku tried to think about something else, though. He had a Blitz Ball game in a few hours he _really_ needed to focus on...

**000**

"Hayner!" The Blitz Ball Coach yelled. "Where do you think you're going? The game's in twenty minutes!"

"I'll only be a second," Hayner called, "I promise!"

"Hn." The coach grunted. "You've got five minutes."

"Thanks, coach!" Hayner grinned and dashed inside the school from the field and raced up to the second floor of the massive school. He searched through the hallways near the eastern end of the school for Olette's locker number. It didn't take him but one minute to find her, walking down towards room number 467 with Kairi. Sora sighed and approached the girls, waving them down for their attention.

"Hey, Hayner!" Kairi greeted cheerfully.

"Hey," Hayner grabbed Olette around her shoulders, "do you mind if I talk to her alone?" Hayner pointed at Olette while he spoke.

"Nope." Kairi giggled, winked at Olette (who blushed), and danced into the classroom they were about to enter together.

"Sooooooo..." Hayner took a few stepps away from the closed classroom door (because Kairi might have her ear against it) and looked at Olette. "Do you mind if I ask you a quick question?"

"N-no..." Olette held onto her books tightly, shaking her head a little to knock a few stray strands of hair from her view.

"Cool." Hayner smiled. "You'll be at the game today, right?"

"Oh," Olette tried not to sound disappointed, "of course."

"Great!" Hayner's smile grew and then he turned his back to her and began to walk down the hallway again, towards the stairs.  
Olette sighed and began started for the door to room 467, until Hayner stopped her again. "Oh," he added, "and will you go to the dance with me?"

Olette looked at him suddenly, surprised. "Y-yeah!" She nodded her head rapidly. "Yes! I will got o the dance with you."

"Great!" With that, Hayner took off again and cheered to himself for a second before he joined the rest of the Blitz Ball team in the warm up for the game.

"You're late," the coach joked, "by a whole 30 seconds! What took so long?"

Hayner shook his head and laughed. "Nothing."

"Talking to girls again, huh?"

**000  
**

Traverse town had scored, yet again, _another_ goal. The score was 43 to 51 as of now, Traverse town in the lead. Roxas sighed during the break, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees while he panted, letting the sweat role down his forehead. This was the hardest he'd _ever_ played the game and they were _still_ losing.

"Are you okay, Roxas?" Sora asked, pouring water over his head.

"I'm fine..." Roxas muttered, scowling at the other team; who was on the other side of the field cheering._ "Look at them.."_

"Hn." Sora grunted.

"We'll beat 'em, ya?" Wakka joined the conversation.

"Right!" Sora gave him a thumbs-up.

The break was over and the game began again. Tidus started with the ball but lost it to one of the traverse town players, but Roxas quickly stole the ball from back and passed it to Sora, who passed it all the way to the far end of the playing field to Riku. Riku was close to the goal when a tall, skinny, rather ill looking boy shoved Riku to the side and stole the blitz ball from him, scowling at Riku the whole time until he ran in the other direction.

"Darn it!" Roxas screamed.

"Calm down!" Wakka bent his knees, ready to stop the boy when he reached them. Roxas did the same, and spread his arms out to the side.

Once the skinny boy reached them Roxas charged at him but simply got pushed out of the way. Roxas growled, chasing the boy.

"Hey, you!" Roxas yelled. "That's _cheating_!"

The boy ignored him and continued on towards the goal. Sora and Tidus darted towards the skinny traverse down player once he was close enough but the ball was passed on to another player closer to the goal. As he was about to kick the ball at the goal Roxas shrieked "Get it! Don't let them score!" But it was too late. The score was now 43 to 52. Riku sighed and helped himself up from the muddy ground.

This time Roxas started off with the ball and darted for the goal, pushing everyone out of his way coldly. If they were going to cheat, _fine._ He'd show them. He threw the ball to Sora right before he shot to confuse the goalie, but just before Sora shot he slipped on the muddy ground and the ball went over the goal then he threw it.

"ARGH!" Roxas nearly ripped the hair from his head.

"My bad..." Sora scratched the back of his head. The ball was passed back into the game and two the same skinny, ill looking boy.

Riku chased him this time, bent on making sure the ball didn't even make it halfway to the other side of the field. Once Riku was almost in front of the boy, Riku nearly attacked him and ripped the ball from his arms. Once he had it, he kicked the ball to Tidus who was close enough to the goal to shoot. Tidus threw the ball up into the air and smacked it so hard that the ball was in the goal before you could blink.

The crowd roared.

"Yeah!" Riku high-fived Tidus. "Keep it up."

Almost 20 minutes later, Destiny High was just two points away from tying with Traverse Town. There was 15 minutes left into he game.

"Alright, um..." Roxas said as the whole team listened to him while they were on another break. "Wakka, you go guard the goal... Tidus, wait by the other goal and Riku and I will stay towards the middle of the field. Sora... you do whatever."

Sora saluted. "Got'cha, captain!"

Te game began again and the Traverse Town team started off with the ball, but Riku quickly got a hold of the ball and threw it to

Roxas, who passed it to Sora; who was already on his way towards the goal. He almost didn't catch it, but once he did he passed in in-between two of the Traverse Town players and to Tidus, who missed the goal but haste fully got the ball again and shot for a second time, and scored. The crowd cheered wildly.

_"YEAHHHH!"_ Selphie, who'd painted herself with the team colors and had a million different colors in her hair, screamed. "Bahamas, _here we come!"_

"Wh_oooooo_!" Kairi and Olette held up a Banner that said 'Destiny High kicks butt!!'

Ten minutes later, the two teams were tied. There was 2 minutes left, and all Roxas and the team needed to do to get to the Bahamas was get _one more goal._

_Here we go..._ Sora thought to himself.

"Let's win, ya?!" Wakka shouted form the goal before the game continued.

Traverse Town started with he ball, and it was passed to the tall boy again (which Riku, Sora, Wakka, Roxas, and Tidus already figured was one of their favorite players) and then to a shorter person. When he went to pass, Sora jumped in front of the ball and caught it, immediately throwing it to Riku.

Riku was surrounded by a crowd of the Traverse Town players, so he quickly threw himself to the ground and threw the ball under their feet to Roxas, who kicked it to Tidus. Riku helped himself back up quickly and watched Tidus lose the ball again, and he and Riku chased the person with the ball all the way to their goal where he was about to shoot.

As he threw the ball Roxas looked at the clock. One minute left. If they made this shot, he was screwed. "NOOO!" He screamed.  
Thankfully, though, Wakka jumped higher than he thought and blocked the ball with his... _Stomach..._

"YEEEOWCH!" Wakka shrieked, throwing the ball back at Sora. Sora quickly kicked the ball to Roxas, who made it near the goal before he passed the Blitz Ball to Riku, who kept it, and aced the clock.

_10...  
_

Riku was running so fast that he almost tripped over himself. He almost slipped on the mud twice, too.

_8..._

"Come on Riku!" Kairi, Olette, and Selphie screamed in unison.

_6..._

Riku gave up on carrying the ball, so he threw it to the ground and began to kick it towards the goal.

_4..._

The crowd roared and Roxas, Tidus, Wakka, and Sora were screaming to the top of their lungs. It was all on Riku's shoulders now. If he didn't make this goal...

_2...  
_

The whole audience stood and the whole field went silent when Riku stopped to kick the ball. He his it so hard that he almost broke the Blitz Ball, and he nearly fell over.

The goalie stretched out their arms and wanted for the ball to reach him.

_0..._

_"GOOOAAAALLLLL!"_ The sounds of screaming and cheering filled the entire area.

"Damn it!" The tall boy complained.

The Traverse Town team grabbed their things and left quickly while Destiny High cheered and shouted.

"Oh _yeah_!" Selphie and Kairi danced. "We're going to the Bahamas!"

"Yay!" Olette waved her arms in he air, trying to catch Hayner's attention.

Riku sat down on the ground, totally out of breath. When he'd won, the whole team tackled him.

Just as the Traverse Town team was about to leave, the tall boy approached Riku and hissed. "You're Riku, right?"

"Uh..." Riku was confused as to why he was asking. "Yeah."

"So, you're Namine's boyfriend?" He questioned.

"What of it?" Riku asked.

The boy just scowled and left.

Riku cocked an eyebrow. Who was he?

Did he know Namine?

**000**

Roxas got home later than he expected. It was nearly 9:00 P.M. when he'd made his way to his room and sat on his bed, remote at hand and ready to spend the rest of the night watching T.V. For some reason though, he didn't turn it on. He sat up and looked out his window, setting the remote down next to him and getting up to open it. Conveniently, the window was right next to his bed. You could see part of the town and the railroad from it.

Roxas sighed and thought about the game. he was excessively happy that they won and were taking part of the school with them to the Bahamas (the straight F students and trouble makers had to stay behind) and part of the team got to choose their own friends to bring.

For some reason.. Roxas asked if Kim could come. He noticed that she wasn't at the game and remembered that she'd been sick for a week now.

_**Flashback**_

_"Roxas?" Cid asked.  
_

_"Hn?"  
_

_"Here," Cid handed Roxas a bunch of homework, "take this to Kim. It's everything she's missed. Make sure she has it."  
_

_"Whatever."  
_

**_End of flashback_**

Roxas looked at the stack of paper on his desk that he hadn't gotten to Kim's house yet. Roxas sat in front of it and stared for a second, remembering the last time he saw her, driving off after she'd called them "friends." Roxas was still confused as to how this _friendship_ would work out. Or why Kim had called him her friend in the first place. She must've taken something... He'd never seen that side of her.

Roxas reached for his phone and dialed Kim's phone number, and waited for her to pick up.

_"Hello,"_ she answered, _"this is basken robins, home of 31 flavors. If you can guess all 31 flavors in 31 seconds I'll give you 31 dollars and 31 cents. GO."  
_

"Haha," Roxas pretended to laugh, "very funny."

_"Oh,"_ Kim sighed, _"it's just you."  
_

"Where've you been the past week?" Roxas asked.

_"Uh, sick. **Duh."**  
_

"Cid gave me a bunch of homework for you." Roxas told.

_"Wonderful."_

"Hey, I was meaning to ask..." Roxas paused.

_"What?"_

"You called us... Friends..." Roxas sounded a bit distant.

Kim grunted._ "So?"  
_

"Why?" Roxas asked, a bit harshly too. "You're supposed to hate me."

_"This doesn't mean that I still don't hate you. You're unbearable."_

"Well," Roxas sounded relieved, "that's good to hear."

_"You're an idiot."_

"Do you feel any better... You know... About that..." Roxas questioned.

Kim didn't answer.

"I guess not."

_"I have to go."_

"Wait!"

_"What now?"_

"I-uh..." Roxas felt a little weird. "Just... Feel better, Okay?"

_"And you care?"_ Kim sounded like she didn't believe him.

"Yeah!" Roxas couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. he wished he'd just let her go when she was about it. "I do!"

_"Um.."_ Kim sounded uneasy. _"I **really** have to go now."_

"Bye." Roxas said before she hung up.

That failed miserably.

Roxas sighed and stared at the homework on his desk. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

**000**

Kairi was sitting on the floor in her room, laying on her stomach while she flipped through her text book from history. She really hated studying. She really did. It always took all night, too.

Kairi sighed when she looked at the clock. It was almost midnight and she wasn't even halfway finished.

Biting her bottom lip, she turned the page again and continued reading and taking notes. It was getting a little hard to stay focused, what with her almost falling asleep every 2 minutes. She yawned and stretched her legs, turning over on her back and pushing the book away. She decided to just stop where she was, why stay up all night studying the same things you studied all year? And her head was pounding, anyways.

She gazed up at the ceiling and rested her arms over her stomach, drifting off into her thoughts.

Just as she was about to fall asleep in the middle of the floor, there was a bang on her window and she shot up suddenly, surprised by the noise. She turned her head slowly to see what it was and nearly had a heart attack when she saw a face peaking inside her room from the window.

_"Sora!?"_ Kairi whinned when she realized it was just him. She held a hand over her heart and gave him a look. "What're you doing?"

"Well," Sora hopping inside, leaving the window open behind him, "I just came to tell you your windows unlocked. You know, someone could easily get in and-"

"SORA!" Kairi began to laugh. She was laughing so hard it was hard to keep her balance.

"Heh," Sora scratched the back of his head and held out a hand for her, "sorry."

"Do you know what time it is?" Kairi asked.

Sora looked behind him. "Yeah, I kinda figured it was late when I could hardly see my own hand in front of my face."

Kairi giggled. "What're you doing here?"

"I... Uh..." Sora paused and tried to think of something to say other than 'I just wanted to see you.' "Just... stopping by, I guess."

"I see..." Kairi shook her head.

"KAIRI!" A voice from the first floor screamed. "Lights out!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Sorry, my mom's a retard."

Sora laughed, but not loud. If Kairi's mom found out he'd climbed through her window... "No problem." Then Sora sighed, scratched the back of his head, and pointed behind him. "I probably should get going, before your mom knows I'm here."

"I guess..." Kairi sighed.

"Bye..." Sora waved, and began to climb back out of Kairi's window.

"Wait!" Kairi stopped him. She rushed to her closet to grab a sweater and then rushed after Sora, who already had made it back down to her backward.

"What?" Sora asked.

"I'm coming with you!" Kairi turned off her light and jumped out of her window, using the vines that grew on the side of her house to get down to Sora's level.

"But-"

"You can't stop me." Kairi cut him off.

Sora shrugged. there was no point in arguing now. "Alright."

The first half of the walk was just little bit quiet. Since Sora had a house right next to the ocean on the beach, they walked along the beach to Sora's house instead in-between all the houses; where Kairi's mom could easily find them.

"I heard the hotels that we're staying at in the Bahamas are really fancy." Kairi started, catching Sora's attention.

"Mmm Hmm." Sora hummed. "If you were just to visit, it'd be, like, 5,000 dollars a night." (A/N: I'm using real money now. I'm tired of just saying 'munny')

Kairi giggled. "I can't wait."

"Me nether." Sora laughed. "And until then, all I need to do to prepare for the other games is eat crabs. That means donuts for breakfast every morning!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "That's not good for you!"

"Says the girl who are a whole pecan pie yesterday." Sora joked.

"That was Selphie." Kairi corrected.

Sora paused, "Oh yeah..."

After a little more walking, Kairi tugged at Sora's arm. "Hold on," Kairi stopped and they both stood next to the ocean for a second. Kairi got down on her knees and felt the salt water and the sand with her hands, sighing peacefully. Why she suddenly wanted to do this was beyond Sora.

"Kairi?" Sora asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine," Kairi giggled, and then looked up at him, "I just wanted to see the look on your face when I did _this_!" Kairi suddenly splashed the water and sand up at Sora's face.

"H-hey!" Sora whipped the salt water out of his eye, and then laughed. He slipped off his sandals and kicked the water right back at her, until she grabbed his leg and he fell into the water. They continued on with their 'water war' until they were both completely out of breath. They both laid in the sand and stared up at the stars, still laughing.

"My mom's going to _kill_ me when she finds out i snuck out of the house." Kairi told, but continued to giggle.

Sora said nothing and closed his eyes, letting chilling breeze come over his face. For the first time that night, he realized it was freezing. He wondered if Kairi felt it. He could feel her shivering next to him, that was for sure.

"We should really get back to my house," Sora started, and helped her off the ground, "before we freeze to death."

Kairi took his hand and they continued back to his house. once they were there, they both snuck inside and up to Sora's room. Sora shut his door behind them and grabbed two towels, considering they were both soaking wet.

"We should do that again sometime." Kairi sat on Sora's bed, drying off her hair with the towel.

Sora laughed and checked the hallway for his parents. Thankfully, they were both sound asleep.

"It's 2 am!" Kairi told. "i can't believe I'm not tired. Not one bit."

"Well I'm about to pass out." Sora yawned.

"Goodnight, then, I guess." Kairi said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Night." Sora said before he suddenly kneeled down in front of her while she sat on his bed, staring. Sora cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and drew her face into his before he kissed her. Sora was surprised with himself. usually, he was the shy one. Kairi responded and he sighed against her mouth gratefully, letting her wrap her arms around his shoulders. Before he got carried away, though, Sora pulled away and kissed her one more time on the cheek, stood up, and smiled.

Kairi stared at him for a while, before laughing. "See you tomorrow."

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope You like it :3 I kinda added fluff for everyone in this chapter.

AWARDS

Top Reviewer: **Jakall Alivair!!!!**

2nd place:**Volume-5!!!**

3rd place:**Irohuro!!**

4th place:**kenshinroks2111!**

BYE

I'm talking to Tyler right now:3

Dude, check out my butt!!! I'm a pinata! -Cracker-Jacks000 (Ethan said that at camp when I bought him a bunch of candy and he stuffed it all in his back pockets)


	46. Yuffie's Birthday

**A/N: **500+ reviews!? _Thank sooooo much _to everyone who's been reviewing, I owe it all to you. :3

Enjoy the chapter! The questions for the last three chapters are answered and at the bottom of this chapter, and so are replies. ;D That's right, more replies.

**Disclaimer: **Pfft.

**P.s. **Kim got a new kitten. :3 It's adorable! It's orange and she names it pumpkin. I with I could show you. XD it's favorite thing to do is play with feet.

**CHAPTER 46**

_**"Night." Sora said before he suddenly kneeled down in front of her while she sat on his bed, staring. Sora cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and drew her face into his before he kissed her. Sora was surprised with himself. usually, he was the shy one. Kairi responded and he sighed against her mouth gratefully, letting her wrap her arms around his shoulders. Before he got carried away, though, Sora pulled away and kissed her one more time on the cheek, stood up, and smiled.**_

_**Kairi stared at him for a while, before laughing. "See you tomorrow"**_

"February 2nd..." Sora and Roxas stared at the piece of paper that had all the information about the Bahamas on it. "That's when we leave."

Roxas began to laugh. "We get back the day after Valentines day..."

"That's 12 games that we have to play..." Sora sounded ill. "That's a lot for just two weeks."

"I can't wait!" Roxas exclaimed. "It'll be great."

"I can feel the pain already..." Sora sighed miserably. "Just one games takes it out of me."

"You're just a loser." Roxas snickered.

"Am _not_." Sora made a face.

"Hey, have you seen Riku?" Roxas asked, changing the subject suddenly.

"Not since the game yesterday." Sora told.

"Oh." Roxas grabbed his things and began walking towards the exit of the school. "He didn't show up at school today."

Sora cocked an eyebrow. "_Really?_"

"Yup." With that, Roxas left the building and made his way to the train station.

Looks like Sora'd be visiting Riku's house later today.

**000**

Sora knocked on Riku's door and waited for a few minutes before Riku opened the door, looking quite out-of-breath.

"_What_?" Riku asked, leaning on the door and folding his arms.

"Just checkin'." Sora told. "You weren't at school today."

"I was too busy _working..._" Riku sighed. "From 4 am till just a few minutes ago. And I have to leave to go work more in an hour."

Riku looked miserable. "Lucky me."

"What're you working so hard for?" Sora cocked an eyebrow.

Riku lead Sora inside and they sat in the living room. "If there's any way I'm going to pay for that ring-"

"So that's what it's about?" Sora cracked up. Riku flinched when Sora had suddenly began laughing histerically and out of control.

"It's not funny..." Riku huffed.

"No, It's just that-" Sora stop laughing, sat up straight again, and looked Riku in the eye. "You could've asked me for help. You could've asked any of the guys. You don't have to work yourself to death."

"I couldn't ask for money from anyone." Riku sighed. "I'd feel guilty for weeks."

"I'm your best friend, remember?" Sora smiled. "And besides, I owe you. You've helped me out too many times to count."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it." Sora laughed again. "I'll talk to Kairi and Olette. They'll come up with something to get the money. They can do anything when they put their heads together."

"Whatever, man..." Riku sighed in defeat. There was no need to argue when he was exhausted. He needed to save energy for work.

"So... How much money have you made so far?" Sora asked, making himself at home. He picked up the remote to the T.V. and rested his feet on the coffee table while he flipped through the channels.

Riku ignored Sora for a minute or two before responding. Sora'd be _flabbergasted_ when he told him he'd made it almost nowhere.

"I've only got a thousand." Riku sighed. "And that's all I got working all month..."

"That's a lot of money." Sora assured. "I'm sure that what you get with this week you'll have enough."

"No," Riku sighed again, "I won't."

"Do you know what ring you're gonna get yet?" Sora asked.

"Yeah." Riku thought about the ring he'd told the owners of a jewelry store to put on hold for him. He remembered when he first walked into the store and saw it; he was surprised nobody had bought it yet. It was gorgeous. "I won't be able to afford it, though, with or without _anybody's_ help."

Sora made a face. "Sure you will. How much does it cost?"

"Uh..." Riku played with his thumbs. "Four Thousand..."

Sora's jaw dropped to the ground and flapped in the wind. Speechless wouldn't be a good enough word. " _What!?_"

"I told you!" Riku barked. "There's _no way_ I can get another 3 thousand dollars in a week and a half..."

Sora shook his head and swallowed. "That's just like you, Riku. Picking out _the_ most expensive things you can find..."

Riku took a deep, deep breath and stared at the floor, looking quite hopeless. Sora felt bad.

"But-" He caught Riku's attention again. "We'll get the money. I promise."

Riku forced a smile, even though he didn't believe what Sora was saying. It was simply impossible. "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"No problem!" Sora got up and waved. "I should go find Kairi now, though. See ya!"

"Hey, wait!" Riku stopped Sora. "Yuffie's birthday is today, right?"

"Uh..." Sora pondered. "Yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

"See you at her party, then, I guess." Riku waved goodbye and Sora left. Riku got up and began to search his house for something to give Yuffie.

**000**

"_Wheeeeeee_!" Selphie screamed. Riku could already tell it'd be a_ long_ night. It was totally ridiculous whenever Yuffie or Selphie threw a party. Usually, the center of the whole party was, of course, _food._ The walls were literally covered in the stuff. Food here, food there... The worst part about it, though, was that all of the food was packed with sugar. Selphie and Yuffie were already bouncing off the walls while everyone else sat on the couch and watched.

"Whoa..." Tidus and Wakka laughed, thinking it was rather funny. "Look at them go!"

Riku rolled his eyes. he got up to grab a soda while Kairi and Olette followed him. "It's never going to end, you know that?" Riku asked. "It's like, every other time I see one of them, they're on a sugar high."

Kairi giggled. "I know. After a while, it's amusing."

"Not really." Riku grabbed a soda from the cooler in the corner of the room, just barely dodging Selphie and Yuffie as they flew past him. "_Geez..."_

"You can at least try and enjoy the party." Olette whined. "I helped set everything up. It wouldn't have taken so long if Yuffie didn't keep ruining everything."

Riku shrugged. "You were the one who offered to help them."

Yuffie screamed. "_It's mine_!" She roared, fighting over the last piece of candy with Selphie.

Wakka got up to turn on the radio on to drown out the sound of the two yelling and hissing. He turned it up so loud that Kari could hardly hear herself talk. "What time is it?" She asked.

"8:30." Riku told.

Kairi sighed. "It's only been an hour..."

"I know..." Riku groaned.

Olette rolled her eyes and walked off. "I'm going to go talk to Hayner." She said before leaving.

Riku shrugged. He might as well find something to do while he was here. Kairi walked off to talk to Aerith and Cloud when Olette left, so Riku was alone. He gazed across the room to see what everyone else was up to; Leon was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn at his side, Tidus and Wakka were gawking over the window they broke with the Blitz Ball, Hayner and Olette were sitting on the floor next to the T.V. talking, Kairi, Aerith, and Cloud were trying to calm Yuffie and Selphie down, and Pence was taking pictures.

"Say cheese!" Pence exclaimed, jumping in front of Riku and shoving the camera in his face.

Riku smacked it away. "Don't do that..."

"Just one picture! _Please?" _Pence begged. "Yuffee wanted at least one picture of everyone. She'll rip me to shreds if I don't get them all, you know."

"Fine." Riku sighed, setting his soda can down on the table and forcing a smile. A flash of light blinded Riku's eyes and the picture was taken. Pence laughed and moved on to the next victim.

Riku sat down in one of the chairs and watched everyone else do their own thing some more. He peered across the room and watched Roxas laugh and point at Sora, who'd tripped over the coffee table. Sora wasn't the most graceful person. Sora stood on his feet again and scowled at Roxas, making up the excuse that it was Roxas's fault, which, it probably _was. _

Time passed on slowly, and Yuffee was finally opening gifts.

"Sorry, it's not much. I didn't really-"

"YAY!" Yuffie exclaimed. Inside the un-wrapped box Riku had handed her was a simple chocolate bar. Riku thought she'd be disappointed, but Yuffie was thrilled.

Riku rolled his eyes again.

The party continued when all the gifts were opened. There was only about a half hour left till it was 10:00 pm and the party was over. It felt like it had been much longer, though, for most people.

"Hey, Kairi!" Sora walked over to where Kairi was sitting all alone, listening to the music that flooded the room.

She looked up at him. "What?" She asked.

Sora sat down next to her. "I need you help with something," he started, and then paused, "I mean, Riku does."

"So why isn't Riku asking me?" Kairi made a face.

Sora looked over his shoulder and at Riku, who was lying around on the couch with Leon. "He's too busy sulking."

"Oh." Kairi giggled. "So, what is it?"

"Well..." Sora searched for the right words. He wasn't sure Riku would be all too happy about him telling Kairi his little secret, considering that he was the only one Riku had told, and he promised to keep quiet. But, how else would he convince Kairi? "Before you say or do _anything, _don't tell Riku I said this." Sora then leaned over and began whispering in Kairi's ear, just in case someone was listening. The more Sora talked, the wider Kairi's eyes became.

"He's gonna _WHAT_!?" Kairi shrieked. Now, almost everyone's attention was on her. She laughed awkwardly and took a deep breath. "Sorry..."

Riku gave Sora a suspecting look before he turned his attention back to Leon. "Geez, Kairi..." Sora rubbed his ears.

"Sorry." Kairi apologized. "That's just... Wow."

"What?" Sora cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think he shouldn't?"

"No! I think he should. Namine's never going to stop talking about it... I'm just kinda shocked." Kairi laughed. "I'm happy for them. So what's he need help with?"

"That's the thing..." Sora began to whisper in Kairi's ear again.

"Th-th-th-three thousand dollars!?" Kairi squeaked.

"Yeah..." Sora sighed, but then looked up again and smiled really wide. "But you can do anything!"

"That's sweet of you to say, Sora, but..." Kairi paused and looked across the room, where Riku was. "You know what? This'll be easy."

Sora smiled. "That's the Kairi I know."

"What's up?" Roxas asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"Nothing." Kairi told.

"We're just talking about Riku." Sora explained. Roxas seemed uninterested.

Later, about the time they were supposed to leave, Yuffee chased everyone (but Selphie) out of her home and they were all on their way to wherever. Roxas left to Axel and Reno's house, Riku left for home, Aerith, Could, and Leon left for their appartments, Wakka and Tidus both went home, Pence, Hayner, and Olette went on the train back to Twighlight Town, and Sora walked Kairi home.

"I've come up with an idea," Kairi started, "you know, on how to raise the money."

"What?" Sora questioned.

"We should just get everyone involved. Riku can keep working, me, Olette, Selphie, and a few other girls I know can do a couple of car washes," Kairi giggled when Sora looked worried, "and my cousin works at a pizza place down the road from my house, they've got these fun raising cards she can give me that we can sell to help. You and the Blitz Ball team could sell those."

"Whatever you say," said Sora.

"And I'm sure Selphie'll have, like, a million ridiculous ideas." Kairi laughed.

"Heh, yeah." Sora scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Hn?"

"I forgot- I left my bag at a store on market street. Can I go get it real quick?" Kairi asked.

"Sure." Sora shrugged. He didn't really care, as long as he was with her.

They arrived at the store a little while later and Kairi grabbed her bag from the store owner, thanked the owner for not getting rid of it, and then she left after buying a few poster boards she could use for the car washes she planned. "Thanks a lot." Kairi waved and then left with Sora and the boards under her arm and her bag in her other hand.

About a half hour later, when they reached Kairi's home, Kairi set her stuff inside and said goodbye to Sora, who felt brave enough to kiss her before he left. After Kairi watched Sora leave, she stepped back inside her home and giggled, running up to her room to scream in a pillow. Kairi didn't know why Sora's kisses excited her so much, but she didn't care ether.

"Are you alright, Kairi?" Her father asked when he'd heard her squels all the way from his room.

"I'm fine, Dad!" Kairi shouted, assuring her worried father. And then she continued fantasizing. An hour later, Kairi decided it was impossable to sleep, so she called Olette.

_"Hello...?"_ A sleepy voice asked.

"Hi," Kairi giggled, "It's Kairi."

_"Yeah..." _Olette yawned. _"Why are you calling me? It's almost 11 pm." _

"I can't sleep." Kairi whinned.

_"So you have to wake me up?" _Olette asked.

"Sorry." Kairi frowned.

_"That's alright," _Olette assured, _"but don't do it again." _

"Right," Kairi felt a little bad for Olette, "sorry again."

Kairi and Olette hung up then, and Kairi sat on the edge of her bed just a little frustrated with the phone still in her hands. She set it the side and stood up, looking around her room for something to do until she was tired enough to close her eyes. She looked at her lap top, and shook her head back and fourth. She looked at her un-finished homework, and shook her head again. Her gaze drifted to her door, where her red sweater was hanging on the door knob. She walked over and picked it up, staring at it for at least a minute, debating inside her head on whether or not she should leave for a while.

She shrugged her shoulders and threw it on over her shoulders and crept down the stairs, making sure to stay out of her parents sight until she reached the door and snuck out. She ran down the street far enough away so that if one of her parents looked out the window, they couldn't see her.

Once far enough away, she sighed in relief and walked around town for a while. It was a little empty, not surprisingly. Most people were afraid to come outside at night because they were afraid some creep would try something. Kairi rolled her eyes at the thought. This wasn't Twighlight Town. _Duh. _There's nothing wrong with Destiny Island.

Kairi sighed and rubbed her arms, chilled by the breeze. Being that it was still winter, it might've been smarter if Kairi had just grabbed her coat instead. The sweater wasn't doing a very nice job.

Most of the shops were closed, unfortunately. When Kairi stuffed her hands in her pockets, there was the change from the poster boards she had bought earlier. She fiddled with the coins for a while as she walked down a few streets, farther and farther away from home. She lost herself in thought, and wasn't really aware of much else besides what she was thinking about. She wasn't aware that it was getting _really _dark, she wasn't aware of the little kids running around away from home, and she wasn't aware of the person behind her trying to catch up with where she was.

The laughter of the children, who were playing tag, snapped her back into reality when they raced past her, bumped into her, screamed, and nearly knocked Kairi over. Kairi would've fallen to the ground if she hadn't fallen on the person behind her; who'd just caught up to her. She twisted around on her heel when the kids smacked into her and fell into the persons arms, who was now staring down at her in shock. Kairi choked on the air when she realized it was Sora who'd caught her and was now holding her up.

Sora swallowed. "Hi..." He said uneasily, frozen in his position. One of his arms was holding her up from the back while his other arm was holding her up by her waist. The children scattered, running off this way and that in a hurry. Sora didn't notice, though. Kairi's blue, steely eyes were glued to his in shock and a mix of confusion.

"Hey..." Kairi stuttered. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Sora let her go then, and scratched the back of his head nervously while she stared at him. "I could ask you the same thing."

Kairi looked around and then back at Sora. "While we're here-"

"Do you wanna go hang out at the beach," Sora asked, "for a while...?"

"Y-yeah..." Kairi took a deep breath. "Okay."

With that over, thankfully (Sora couldn't handle another awkward moment), they headed down to the beach. It took a while, but they finally made it and stood at the corner of the road for a second before stepping onto the white beach and near the ocean, where Kairi took a minute to lean down and run the tips of her fingers through the salty water. She sighed and looked up at Sora, who stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and looked down at her blankly, unsure of what to do next.

Kairi stood up straight and stepped toward Sora, lacing her fingers behind her back and rocking back on her heel just once. "So..." she started, ignoring Sora's non-stop stare. "I was just thinking... Well, I-... I was just going to ask you if i could-"

Without thinking, Sora reached his hand out and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand, tilting her chin with his fingers and pulling her face to his. He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers, grabbing one of her hands with his free hand and closing his eyes softly. He regreted his actions until she responded and wrapped one of her arms around his neck. Normally, Sora'd be scared out of his mind, but he guessed it was just his hormones taking over. Not that he minded.

Kairi pulled away slowly, then, resting her forehead against his and not bothering to open her eyes until Sora lifted their laced hands to his chest and sqeezed. Kairi inhaled. Sora's warm breath tickled her cheeks as they stood there for a while, just staring at each other. The silence was sweet; peaceful. He liked it.

"Kairi..." He leaned forward. His lips brushed lightly against her ear when he talked.

Kairi exhaled. She swore, all the butterflies in her stomach would carry her away. She opened her mouth to respond but Sora cut her off a second time, pulling his face back in front of hers and staring into her innocent eyes somewhat seriously. His thumb caressed her cheek. "I lah..." He stopped to kiss Kairi softly on the lips one more time, and then her cheek, and the edge of her nose. He breathed heavily against her skin and squeezed her hand again, feeling totally at peace for the first time all day. "I love you."

Kairi leaned against him, her arm still wrapped around his neck, and nuzzled his neck gently. The hand that was pressed against his chest unlaced itself from Sora's hand and she wrapped that around Sora's neck, also, turning their position into a tight embrace while she focused on how fast her heart was beating. The emotional high was thrilling. She could feel Sora's heart pound, too.

"I love you too." Kairi took a deep breath and relaxed. Sora kissed her cheek again. It was all he needed to feel the happiest he'd felt in months. _months... _

Kairi tightened her grip around Sora's neck before he lead her mouth to his again.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope ya liked it (I was going to add more Kim and Roxas fights instead, but... :D yay Sora and Kairi!).

AWARDS

Top reviewer: **Irohuro **and** Volume-5!!!! **_Irohuro, thanks for being reviewer number 500! Volume-5, that probably WAS the longest review I've ever seen XD _

2nd place: **The Darkside Incarnate!!!**

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!!**

4th place:**Alpha Male!**

REPLIES (Just 'cause)

**The Darkside Incarnate... **_Well thank you! I worked hard on it :) I miss Namine too... That's why I made her call him XD _

**kenshinroks2111... **_YAY! FLUFF:D haha. No, the Bahamas won't be filled with Drama, just fun stuff and fluff :) _

**Shiba-X... **_I wish I went on all those trips too... -pouts- _

**Alpha Male... **_I always imangined that they played (or practiced) Blitz Ball on dry land before the real games... So, haha, I guess that's why they play it like that here. They'll be playing in water though when they get to the Bahamas for the real thing. :3 promise. _

**Volume-5...** _:o!!!! That probably IS the longest review I've ever seen... No, I don't want tea XD_

**XFireFistAceX... **_You suck XD J/k see you on yahoo messanger. _

**Irohuro... **_Haha, thank you! I did work hard on the Blitz ball Scene... I'm not very good with that kinda stuff... XD ah hah! _

**Sorafanluver... **_Yay! X3_

**Sayshello3... **_You'll see :3 and I'm glad you liked the chapter!_

**MissDarlain... **_Thanks!_

**paccagnan... **_haha, he's not a stalker XD_

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

**Q:** Hows Namine doing in Newyork?**A:** She hates it.

**Q: **How is Riku Gonna Deal with out Namine? **A: **He'll find a way :3

**Q: **How is Kim, I mean she still in hospital? **A: **Nope, she's just at home.

**Q:**Whats Riku got planned for Namines return? **A: **-dies-

**Q:** How and When are the three new characters gonna be introduced? **A: **After the Bahamas.

**Q:**Why would Kyle give Riku a house? **A: **Ask Kyle.

**Q:**What made you chose Alaska? Why not Australia? **A: **Why Alaska? Because I hate snow, that's why. Haha. I'm making them go to a place I'd never visit.

**Q:**Why, didn't Riiku follow through with his proposal? **A: **He will, don't worry. :) Sooner than you think.

**Q:**Why, When and How will you introduce your new characters to the story? **A: **After the Bahamas.

**Q:**How much longer till Namine comes back? **A: **She'll be back by chapter 49.

**Q:**If a tree falls in the wood and no one hears it dose it make a sound? **A: **Well duh...

**Q:**WHERE ARE THE CULTS!?! **A: **I don't think so... :(

**Q:**If Fa'an has moved away will we see him again? **A: **Nope... No more Fa'an...

**Q:** What grades did they make on the english quiz they had? **A:** :/ I haven't thought about that...

**Q:** Was that guy like Namine's brother? **A: **_You'll see . _

WHAT ABOUT ME?

My life's been _preeeeeeetty_ boring lately... Haha, I bought a movie yesterday called "Pan's Labrinth" but I didn't know it was spanish! I was really disapointed, so I brought the movie back and got catch & release instead... :/ the movie wasn't as good as I thought it would be. But whatever.

-WAVES-

I gotta go spend my last day with Hayley before she moves to Alabama :0!!!!

I gotta go talk to Eli on myspace, too :3

Bye

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID -Cracker-Jacks000


	47. Mission: Destroy

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, people :D On witht he next chapter!

:D If you're a Roxas/Kim fan, you'll probably like this chapter.

**P.s. **Namine's back in a few chapters (Like, chapter 49) so she'll be back soon. Don't worry

**Disclaimer:**_ Pah-lease._

**CHAPTER 47**

_(Enjoy!)_

**_Kairi leaned against him; her arm still wrapped around his neck, and nuzzled his neck gently. The hand that was pressed against his chest unlaced itself from Sora's hand and she wrapped that around Sora's neck, also, turning their position into a tight embrace while she focused on how fast her heart was beating. The emotional high was thrilling. She could feel Sora's heart pound, too._**

**_"I love you too." Kairi took a deep breath and relaxed. Sora kissed her cheek again. It was all he needed to feel the happiest he'd felt in months. months... _**

**_Kairi tightened her grip around Sora's neck before he led her mouth to his again._**

Roxas couldn't believe it. He'd actually gotten most everything on all the homework assignments that Kim missed right. He gawked at all the A's on the papers for the entire lunch period, feeling a little more shocked then proud. And to think, when he did all her homework and turned it in for her, he thought he'd get his ass kicked because he just knew he'd do a horrible job. But, no, Kim's grades would continue to be perfect. Roxas didn't screw anything up this time!

He would've been happy, if it wasn't for that damned stomach of his. It felt like he was on a rollercoaster the minute he thought about handing this stack of A+ papers to Kim and explaining why the hell he did it all for her, when he _hated_ her. Roxas wasn't really all that sure himself why he did such a thing.

"Wow." Olette was let in on the situation near the end of the day when she'd run into Roxas in the hallway. She was the only person Roxas really knew that didn't go around telling everybody's secrets... Like _someone_ he knew (coughselphiecough). "A's on everything?" Olette laughed. "_What_... Did you cheat or something?"

"No." Roxas hissed. Kim's bad attitude must've been rubbing off on him.

"What was Cid's reaction?" Olette asked, curious.

Roxas began to laugh. And hard. He mouthed Cid's exact words; "Wow, Roxas. I wish you were as excellent as Kim was, I mean, look at this! But, who am I kidding, you're not going to listen to me."

Olette giggled. "He has no clue."

"Not one." Roxas picked up the large stack of homework and chuckled.

"Going home now?" Olette asked.

"Yeah," Roxas sighed, "Hayner's gonna be furious that I left without him or Pence, or whoever else, but I might as well get this to Kim unnoticed."

"Right." Olette gave him a look and walked off before saying, "I might as well go see if Kairi wants to go hang out for a while."

Roxas nodded and threw his torn up, grey back pack over his shoulder and headed for the exit. As soon as he was back in Twightlight Town, he called a cab and was on his way to Kim's house. The long ride there he played nervously with his thumbs and the zippers on his backpack, trying to keep his mind off of what'd he'd say first. He could see the look on her face now; utter shock! Or... Annoyance. Kim liked to do things on her own.

Just because he couldn't stop thinking about her didn't mean he liked her. Far from it. Yeah, his emotions were a little mixed up, but, if anything, he was _scared _of her. He'd never like her.

The cab came to a halt in front of said person's house, and Roxas paid the cab driver before getting out. He slammed the door behind him (the cab driver scowled) before telling the cab driver to wait there for him; he'd need a drive back. The cab driver looked _thrilled_ (not really).

Taking his time, Roxas walked up the stone steps to Kim's door and forced himself to knock. Once he did so, he took a step back and waited for someone to answer the door.

The door opened and Roxas's heart nearly stopped when he saw Kim's dad staring down at him. More like glaring down at him. "What do you want?"

"Do you mind if I-"

"No."

Roxas felt frustrated. He held the stack of papers out for Kim's father to grab. "Just give this to her, okay?"

"Whatever." He took it and slammed the door in Roxas's face. Roxas mumbled something to himself and stormed over to the cab, got inside, and slammed the door again. Roxas could _defiantly_ tell that the two were related.

**000**

Kim heard noises coming from outside and forced herself to get up and go look out the window. She watched as a boy with spiky blonde hair rode off down the street. Was that _Roxas_? Kim couldn't really tell, because all she'd gotten to see was the back of his head.

Her dad suddenly flung the door open and set the stack of homework on her desk with a loud _thump! _"That stupid boyfriend of yours wanted me to give you this."

Yup. It was definitely Roxas.

"He's not my boyfriend." Kim scowled.

"Get back in bed," her father ordered, "you're still sick."

Kim rolled her eyes and crawled back in bed, and then her father left. But as soon as he was gone, she jumped out of bed again to examine what her father had so rudely thrown onto her desk. She picked up the stack and spread all of the paper out onto her desk so she could look at everything at once. It looked like... her missed homework.

Kim scratched the back of her head in confusion and continued staring. Everything had the letter "A" marked on it in big, red ink.

Did Roxas do this?

_No..._

He probably paid someone to.

The more Kim thought about it, the more obvious it was that Roxas actually sat down and did everything himself. What confused her so much was _why._

Roxas would never do something so... _Nice._ Or, at least not for her. Anyone _but _her.

The next morning, around 5 am before her mother left to work, she begged her mom to let her go to school, convincing her that she wasn't ill anymore. After her mother had left, Kim brushed her hair and threw on the school uniform before rushing into town really quick with a pocket full of money; everything that her dad gave her a week ago that was supposed to be spending money in the Bahamas, but, whatever.

Just a few weeks ago, Kim remembered watching Roxas drool over a skateboard with a few of his friends, ignoring the brand new skateboard he already had in his hands. The one that cost him a fortune._ "Man,"_ she remembered coming from his mouth, _"I'd kill for that thing." _

She found the shop and walked inside, relived that it was open. The store owner made a face at her when she'd grabbed one of the most expensive skateboards from the window and shoved it in his face without even thinking. "I want this one." She ordered.

Hesitantly, the owner took the skateboard and typed in the price on his computer. "You sure?" He asked. "It's really expensive, and you don't really-"

"Hurry up." Kim commanded.

"Right, right," the man took a deep breath, "five hundred."

Kim slapped the money onto the counter and grabbed the skateboard. With that, she was gone.

**000**

Roxas stretched his legs and yawned. After getting dressed and just letting is blonde hair fall in front of his face and down his neck instead of using gel on it like he usually did, he grabbed his backpack and a piece of toast, prepared to leave for school.

He opened his front door and kicked it shut, nearly tripping over the skateboard (with the tag still attached) lying in his way. He stopped to admire it for a second before kneeling down and making a face. What was this doing in front of his house? He looked at the price tag and winced. Next to the price tag, though, was a small letter, folded up and stuck under the wheel. He picked that and the skateboard up, and then read the note.

He began to grin before he stopped himself and actually thought about it for a minute. He knew exactly who'd bought this ridiculously overpriced, but gorgeous, board with wheels attached to it. That roller-coaster feeling came back again.

_Oh boy..._

**000**

Roxas entered the school building still lost in thought, and lost for words. The last few months had been passing by WAY too quickly. Not only were Kim and Him 'friends' but she'd kissed him too. Not that they meant for it to happen but... You know Riku; he was always showing up at the wrong time.

She was one complicated individual. What's more, she was a bitch. That made things even worse. No… MUCH worse. And yet, she was nice enough to buy him the skate board of him dreams, only because he did her homework for her while she was sick for a week. _That _had to count for something, even if it was only a thank you. But then again...

"Ah!" Roxas shook his head of the absolutely absurd thought. Like hell he'd fall for Kim. Of all people. He'd rather fall in love with her prep friends. _Both of them. _Yes, he was serious. Or so he thought.

But, buying him a 500 dollar skate board was a little too much of a thank you, and Kim wasn't the kind of person to really do the whole 'thank you' thing. So it meant double, not only her generosity but Roxas's eagerness to say 'I owe you one.' Oh, he'd be in trouble for sure, but she deserved it. Even if she was the bitch from hell.

Anyways, he wanted to get this over with before he choked on his own breath. He was too nervous to even look at her after what he'd said to her over the phone a few days previous. But, it was something he had to do. Whether or not he wanted to.

He searched the student lounge, his grip on the new skate board tightening. And then it hit him: One of the 'private' student rooms. Where else would she be if she was purposely hiding from him? She may have been sneaky, but she wasn't impossible to figure out.

He made his way to the end of an empty hall way, slowly walking towards the door that read:

_Student lounge #2. _

He took a deep breath and turned the knob, and sure enough, there she was. Reading the same book, wearing the same blank face, being the same old Kim. He laughed inside and entered the room quietly, making sure not to knock her out of the trance she was in while reading her book, and shutting the door cautiously behind him.

But sighing in relief when he still hadn't caught her attention, well… caught her attention. _Damn… _

"What?" She asked harshly, staring at him with a sharp, steely eye.

"Well," Roxas started, sounding as casual as ever (a little too casual) and he took 1 step closer to the couch she was sitting in the middle of, "I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?" She cocked an eye brow. HA! As if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"This." Roxas held the skate board out for her to see, it's detailed design shinning in the little rays of sunlight that poured into the tiny room.

"_That?" _she stared quizzically, "I have no idea what you're trying to say, Roxas."

"I'm saying," He took a deep breath, "THANK YOU! Do. You. Under-stand?" He talked to her as if she didn't speak English, and this got a nasty snarl out of her.

"I've never seen that in my life." Kim returned to her book, flipping to the next page and reading on.

Roxas rolled his eyes and set the skate board down and against the wall, where it rested perfectly. He strolled behind the couch and rested his hands on the ledge right behind her.

Kim, now very irritated, slapped the book down against her lap, using her finger as a book mark, and looked over her shoulder at Roxas, sending him an 'I-loath-you' expression.

He only leaned in closer, a little too close for comfort. Typical.

"I know it was you," He whispered into her ear in faint tones, she almost didn't hear him, "Don't lie to me."

"Roxas-"

Before Kim could finish Roxas slipped a small piece of paper in front of her face. The same "_cute_" little letter that came with the skate board on his front porch. It read:

_Dear idiot, _

_I don't know why the hell I'm doing this, but I am, so here, Just take it. Don't worry about the damn money cuz it's taken care of. So… Just leave me alone about it._

_From, _

_Someone that hates you dearly. _

_p.s. Thanks. _

Kim mentally slapped herself for being so obvious.

"It's your handwriting, is it not?" Roxas continued to speak in hushed tones.

Kim scowled, he must've been doing this on purpose, "It said in the note to leave me alone about it." There, just… There. She'd admitted it was her in a weird, awkward kind of way and maybe, just maybe, he'd go away now. But no, he did just the opposite.

He picked up the note, neatly folded it up and placed it in his pocket, and made his way to the front of her now. As if looking at her in the eye wasn't enough to make her blush, he got down in one knee too.

Kim re-picked up her book and shoved it in front of her face so he wouldn't see her getting red. The only thought going through her mind was '_What the hell is he doing? What the **hell** is he doing?!' _and her heart was beating so fast she couldn't count beats. She swore it was _skipping _beats.

She breathed heavily into her book as she bit her bottom lip, hoping that he wouldn't hear her quickened breaths, or hoping that he couldn't hear her heart beat; because she could, and it was loud.

Roxas chuckled lightly, "_Kim…_" The sound of his voice only made her twice as freaked out and jumpy.

She slapped him mentally. Damn him for having this effect on her! Damn it all!

"Go _away_." She warned, shoving her face as deep into the book as possible, which made it obvious she wasn't actually reading it. Her eyes here literally stuck to the pages. And her constant short breaths only made her face even hotter, as if blushing wasn't helping.

Roxas only laughed lightly a little more, but not too much, because knowing Kim she'd kill him.

"Um…" Roxas licked his lips and made a popping sound with his mouth, which startled her and he knew she flinched, even if he couldn't see her face because of that god damn book.

"Roxas…" Kim only warned further. She _really_ wanted him to GET OUT, "Leave, now."

"I will," Roxas assured, but alas, "After I do _this." _

"Huh?" Kim asked herself in her head before Roxas made his move.

He was still on one knee, very close up to her, and he only used two fingers to set on top of the book cover and press it down and out of the way. Kim's face felt like a frickin' inferno as he leaned in and lightly kissed her forehead.

"Thanks." He whispered against her skin, "It means a lot."

_SMACK! SMACK! _

Kim had hit him, just like he predicted it would happen. Roxas lost yet another battle, again.

Roxas held both of his now swollen cheeks and ran out of the room laughing his ass off while Kim chased after him.

Her mind was fixed on one thing and one thing only; _Mission: destroy. _

**000**

"Guess what!" Kairi squealed. "The car wash that the cheerleading team decided to help me out at yesterday raised a_ ton_ of money!"

"Figures." Sora chuckled. "So, how much?"

"A thousand." Kairi smirked.

Sora applauded her. "Two thousand to go."

"What about you?" Kairi made a face. "You didn't raise _anything_ yet?"

Sora was about to say no, but then he grinned and reached into his back pocket. "I've got ten bucks." He announced proudly.

Kairi couldn't help but giggle. Guys here_ totally_ unreliable. "Wow, I'm impressed," she said in a sarcastic tone, "ten whole dollars?"

Sora flashed that cheesy grin of his. "Shut-up..." He laughed.

**000**

A few days later and Kim and Roxas were back to normal. Well, kind of. They'd actually been acting more like... "_friends_" after the whole skateboard thing. Well, not quite friends, but close. They still fought like they were insane. All of Roxas's and Kim's friends had gotten rather sick of watching them scream at each other.

Around lunch time that day, Kim had asked Roxas if he wanted to stay at school late with her in the library building while she studied and worked on her homework. She told him she'd only asked because it'd be dark out quick and she didn't want to be alone in the large building. Roxas had nothing better to do, so he accepted her invitation and they went on the rest of the day, continuing to fight. It became a normal thing for them.

Later, when school was over, Roxas sat around in the office counting ceiling tiles while Kim sat just outside of that room, next to a window where she was clearly visible from where Roxas was. He'd look over to check on her every now and then. After a few hours, though, she was finished.

"That's all." Kim set the pencil down and sighed deeply.

"Really?" Roxas was slightly relived. All their home work was finally done, but… That means they'd have to go home. He was, somewhere in that head of his, hoping he'd get to spend more time with her. But, whatever, there was nothing to talk about anyways.

Kim shook her head, "Finally." She set the books in a neat stack on the table and put her notebook away in her back pack, preparing to leave for home again. Roxas sat and watched as she flung her back pack over her shoulders and began to walk away.

But before she went too far, she looked over her shoulder at him and cocked an eyebrow. "You coming?" She questioned.

Roxas suddenly snapped back into reality and nodded, "Uh… Yeah!"

Kim sighed miserably and leaned against a book case as she waited for him, and then the two headed down the large stair case and to the large doors.

But, much to Kim's dismay, it had started raining and she was without an umbrella. So was Roxas. As they peered outside from a window they both sighed, gazing up at the darkened sky and the drops of water falling to the ground. Kim should've listen to the news this morning when they said there was a chance of a severe thunder storm. And believe it or not, Kim was terrified of thunder. She couldn't stand it.

"Well," Roxas started, catching her immediate attention, "What now?"

"I guess we're staying here over night." Kim shook her head and took a deep breath, "Good thing school's cancelled tomorrow."

Roxas stretched and yawned, turning around and making his way back up the stair cases. All 5 of them. Typical, the library was 3 times larger than the school itself.

"Where are you going?" She finally asked, following him up.

"I have no idea." Roxas yawned, threw his things to the side and carried on up the stairs.

"Oh." Kim sighed. Heh, she should've known this was all there was to expect out of him.

"Why?" Roxas looked over his shoulder and at Kim as they reached the top floor again.

Kim pushed him out of the way harshly and set her bag on the table, refusing to reply. She didn't have to and didn't want to.

"Hn." Roxas rolled his eyes and grunted, ignoring her back. Why did she always chose the time he was around to be a bitch?

So time went on, and they separated themselves. Kim, being afraid of lightning and thunder, hid herself from him in the back of the library, while Roxas picked up a sports magazine and leaned back in his chair, feet on the table in all his lazy glory.

Figures.

But, he couldn't help drifting off into thought from time to time. Using the magazine as a distraction from his temptation to approach Kim wasn't working. Especially since he'd already read the whole thing five times over again.

So, he set the magazine down and checked the clock resting on the wall.

_Midnight. _

He blinked, and took a deep breath. It was late, and he wasn't sleepy in the slightest bit. Well… Maybe a little. Which lead him to the thought of Kim again. Was she sleeping? If she was, where was she? He hadn't seen her in hours!

He did the only thing he could think of: he searched the room, and she was nowhere to be found. He didn't recall her leaving, and why would she? The storm had only gotten worse the past few hours.

But then he heard her, and followed the sound of… shivering? He peaked over the corner of a table hidden in the back of the room to see Kim sitting opposite from him on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, _shivering. _

"Kim…?" Roxas walked around and in front of Kim, catching her attention, "What're you doing over here?"

Kim hid her face and rubbed her eyes for a minute, and then stood up as if nothing were wrong, "Nothing." She simply stated.

"Really?" Roxas gave her a look and folded his arms.

"Yes, really." She scowled deeply at him, but then… The boom of thunder sounded again, and well….

"AH!" She screamed, falling to the floor and leaning against the wall, hyperventilating.

"Oh, I get it." He helped her up forcefully, "You're scared of the thunder and lightning."

"Am not!" She slapped his hand away and helped herself up.

"Are too." Roxas smirked.

"So?" Kim gave him a nasty look. "You gonna make fun of me now, or what?"

"_No_..." Roxas made a face. "I'm not a jerk." Roxas had to admit, though, he was thinking about cracking some joke about it for a second or two.

After closing the blinds on the window, Kim sat down next to Roxas at one of the tables near the center of the room. "This is stupid." held her face up with the palm of her hand. "Of all people, I have to be stuck here with you."

"I'm not enjoying it ether." Roxas leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. "And by the way, it's rude to put your elbows on the table."

"Can you be _any_ more annoying?!" Kim barked, resisting the rip Roxas's eyes out of their sockets.

"Sure." Roxas laughed.

Kim sighed miserably and buried her face in her arms, the most annoyed expression plastered on her face. It'd be a long night.

**000**

As soon as the storm was over, which was around 4 am, Kim grabbed her things and left while Roxas slept on the floor. It was still raining, lightly though, so Kim didn't mind getting a little wet while she called her mom; who came to pick her up from the entrance of the school.

Roxas woke up around 9 am, totally oblivious that Kim had left hours before. He got up, yawned, stretched, and rubbed the back of his neck while he looked around the room for a second. Everything seemed normal.

Just before Roxas went to see if Kim was still there somewhere, he found a note taped to the office window that read: I_ went home. _

To tired to care, Roxas shrugged and left himself. Instead of traveling to his own home, though, he walked a short distance to Riku's house and knocked on the door. Riku let him in and Roxas explained how Kim and he were locked inside the library together. Riku laughed and patted Roxas on the shoulder. He asked if it was total hell and Roxas laughed hysterically.

Roxas didn't actually mind, though. He and Kim didn't really talk much, they kept their distance. It was probably smart of them too, or it would've been hell.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope You all liked it! I kinda finished this whole chapter in one day, all at once (heh) so I hope it turned out.

AWARDS!

Top reviewer: **The Darkside Incarnate!!!! **

2nd place: K**enshinroks2111!!!**

3rd place:**Hanakitsunechan7!!**

4th place:P**eccagnan!**

ME?

I'm reading, like, the best book ever right now X3 It's called _Getting lost with boys_ by Hailey Abbott. It's about this girl who goes on this crazy road trip with her sisters anoying ex-boyfriend.

BYE!

A good book is calling my name...

BTW, I updated the fan site. And guess what!? Remember when I said that the camp in _Another Story 1_ was modled after a camp I go to every year? I put pictures from the camp on the site so you can kinda see what it really looked like. There's a picture of the dorms (sorta) and a few other things. Maybe you'll take a look :D

"If we have to cut you in half, she is SO not getting the larger half." -Cracker-Jacks000 (I was fighting over Ethan XD)


	48. Eat Me

**A/N:** I decided to go easy on everyone this chapter (I'm updating even though I don't have enough reviews) because ff . net is being a butthead :( Keep review though, because i won't go easy new time. Come out from hiding everyone! Or I won't update! I MEAN IT!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom hearts -boohoo-

**CHAPTER 48**

__

Just before Roxas went to see if Kim was still there somewhere, he found a note taped to the office window that read: I_ went home. _

To tired to care, Roxas shrugged and left himself. Instead of traveling to his own home, though, he walked a short distance to Riku's house and knocked on the door. Riku let him in and Roxas explained how Kim and he were locked inside the library together. Riku laughed and patted Roxas on the shoulder. He asked if it was total hell and Roxas laughed hysterically.

Roxas didn't actually mind, though. He and Kim didn't really talk much, they kept their distance. It was probably smart of them too, or it would've been hell.

After warning Roxas not to sit next to her in their next class (not like he was going to, but she told him not to anyways), Kim dashed off to her Math class.

Kim found an empty seat in the back of the class and sat down, arranging her things across her desk. But… much to her dismay…

Just as the bell rang Roxas took the seat next to her before her girly friends could even make a move. It was like he was trying to piss her off on purpose.

Kim pounded her desk as her friends frowned at her, and took the seats in front instead and she turned her head to Roxas and scowled at him deeply. What little friendship they had was wavering, and she was about to break it.

Roxas simply smiled like an idiot, as usual, and class went on.

When class finally ended, Kim stopped Roxas in his tracks as he reached his locker across the hall way and hit him in the back of the head, twice as hard as she usually would (she hits him a lot), purposely hurting him, and catching his full attention.

"Now what?" He moaned, gripping the back of his head and giving her a death glare.

"I told you not to!" She whined.

"Not to what?" Roxas smirked, pissing her off even more; he wanted to do anything and everything that made his friend want to scream. It was the goal.

"You're an ass." She mumbled.

"I hate you too." Roxas joked sarcastically, and then returning to his locker and dialing the combo.

"Punk." She folded her arms and hissed.

"Prep." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"_Bite_ me." She warned.

"_Eat_ me." Roxas smirked.

Kim froze for a second, taking a second to think about what Roxas had just said. Suddenly, she began laughing hysterically (because his response was unexpected). She was laughing so hard that she was pressed up against the wall with her arms wrapped around her stomach and her knees bent.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. Not much made Kim laugh like this. He figured it was probably because he'd said something stupid.

"You're such a retard!" Kim said in-between laughs.

Roxas rubbed the back of his neck, still a little confused. "Thanks..."

"That wasn't a compliment." Kim snickered, pushing him out of the way and heading down the hallway. She was laughing at him inside, too. _A lot. _

**000**

Riku sighed, leaning his head on the palm of his hand. He tapped the ground with his foot rhythmically, staring out of a window from the second floor of Sora's home. Riku learned something about himself the whole month that Namine was gone; he was an impatient person. It felt like it'd been a year since he'd seen his girlfriend, and there was still a few days left to wait before she was back. God, he missed her. As if she wasn't on his mind almost all of the time already, he'd practically driven himself insane.

Sora waved a hand in front of his friends face. "Hello? Earth to Riku! Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh... Uh, yeah," Riku snapped back to reality, "sorry about that."

"Anyways," Sora continued on with whatever he'd been talking about when Riku was floating around in space, "I was just telling you about the whole money thing. Remember? Kairi and Olette thought of a few things and-"

Riku looked guilty again. "Sora, I _really_ don't thing I can-"

"Don't worry about it." Sora rolled his eyes. It was annoying when Riku acted like he didn't need the help.

"I'm serious-"

Sora huffed and Riku cut himself off and paced, took a deep breath, and looked up.

"Okay, Okay you win." Riku shook his head and leaned back, folding his arms over his chest. "What'd you get?"

"Not me," Sora chuckled, "The girls. I was too caught up in Blitz Ball to do anything."

"Well that makes me feel _way_ better," Riku forced a laugh, "thanks."

"Anyways," Sora reached into his backpack for a large envelope that looked rather stuffed, and handed it to Riku, "You can thank Kairi and Olette and the rest of them. They worked pretty hard."

Riku gawked when he opened the envelope, and looked up at Sora in shock. "How much is in here?"

"Just a little over two thousand," Sora told, "it's not exactly thr-"

Riku suddenly looked overjoyed and overwhelmed at the same time. He bit his bottom lip and stood, glancing out the window again for a second before turning towards Sora again. "Thanks a lot, Sora." Riku smiled wide and Sora gave him a sort of half-hug and a high five. "I owe you."

"You owe Kairi and Olette," Sora laughed, "and it's no problem. It's totally worth it, man."

Riku closed the envelope and pointed behind him at the door. "I'd better get going now. You've the school dance to go to and I've got more work."

"You're not going?" Sora was disappointed. "Are you, like, addicted to working or something?"

"This is my last day, and then I get paid for the last two weeks," Riku told, "and then I have to go into Twighlight Town and see Kyle."

"Why do you have to go see Kyle?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm helping him move into my parent's house." Riku explained.

"Oh." Sora nodded, and then shrugged.

"I'll tell you how the dance was, then, I guess." Sora said, and then waved when Riku turned for the door.

"Bye!" Riku waved back and then left.

Sora sighed again, deeply. Namine had_ better_ say yes.

**000**

Sora picked up Kairi from her house and drove her to the school in his mom's car (he didn't have one himself). They were some of the first people there and the GYM where everything was set up was pretty much empty. A few of the staff members and students were still setting food on the tables and throwing little squares of collared paper on the floor. The school had hired a DJ, who was a tall, tan girl in about her 20's, who was currently slacking off and lounging around on the couches moved in from the office. The light reflecting off of the old Disco Ball was nearly blinding Sora, and he lifted a hand in front of his face to block the rays.

The lights were still on, and most everyone looked pretty bored so far. The dance hadn't_ really_ started yet, the people who were there were around five minutes early.

Nobody was super-dressed up. Everyone looked nice, but it wasn't very formal. The prom was the only formal dance the school really had anymore. The girls wore short, easy dresses and took the time to do their hair and make-up, and most of the guys just threw on a good pair of jeans and a nice shirt.

The long, decorated tables alongside part of the walls were covered in food and drinks, candy and chocolate, this and that. Sora could just see Yuffie and Selphie now... At least there was enough to keep the two occupied for a few hours while he tried to enjoy the dance with Kairi and his other friends.

"I wish Namine were here," Kairi announced, lacing her hands behind her, "she's probably at home bored, sitting on her bed right now."

"Don't worry about it," Sora placed on of his arms around her back and they walked over to the far end of the GYM, far enough away from the dance floor and into a small area with a bunch of tables and chairs. Once they found a table on the outer edge, the closest one to the dance floor there was, Kairi set her bag down and began reserving seats for the rest of her friends who would be showing up soon. She set her bag in front of one chair, a bracelet in front of the next, so on and so fourth.

Suddenly, the lights were turned down really low as a bunch of the students piled into the room. The disco ball turned and the DJ got off her butt and headed over to the DJ booth, playing songs by request. People wanted to hear a bunch of Club songs and stuff by Hellogoodbye, Red jumpsuit apparatus, whatever. Just a bunch of stuff the people played on the radio repeatedly.

Sora just nodded his head and Kairi swayed a little, still waiting for her friends. Soon, Roxas and Selphie showed up at their table with arms full of Soda and punch, Jones and crush; all that kind of stuff. Kairi giggled and took a soda from Selphie, who then placed everything in the middle of the table. Roxas followed.

"So where's Yuffie?" Kairi asked, getting Selphie's attention.

Selphie gave her the puppy lip and pouted, "She's not coming."

"Oh, why not?" Kairi frowned. Sora cheered in the background.

Selphie shrugged, looking like she was over it already. Then, Selphie's favorite song began to play and she squealed, jumping up and down. She grabbed Kairi's arm and dragged her off, screaming, "Kairi! You_ gotta_ dance with me!"

The song was up-beat and hyper sounding, the kind of song you'd dance crazy too. It was obviously Selphie's song. Funny thing was, though, she seemed to be the only person any of them knew who liked it.

Sora sighed and Roxas laughed. "Good luck!" Roxas said, turning to pat Sora on the shoulder, and then he left Sora all alone. Sora watched Kairi and Selphie for a second. They hadn't gone far, and still were visible. He scratched the back on his head and took a seat, grabbing a red bottle of Jones. He was soon joined by Tidus, Wakka, and Pence. They all sat and chatted until Selphie and Kairi were back.

Selphie was hunched over and looked tired and out of breath, where as Kairi just looked annoyed. While Sora had the chance, he said goodbye and shot up, grabbing Kairi's hand, and disappeared into the crowd. There were at least 500 people crammed in that gym by now.

Selphie sat next to Tidus, who shifted with a little uneasiness, and Wakka and Pence chuckled. Selphie gave Tidus a questioning look and Tidus shook his head, as if to say 'I don't know.'

Selphie chugged down a glass on punch and stood again, ready for more dancing. If that's what she called it. She gave Tidus a look when he didn't follow her and he rolled his eyes, forcing himself on his feet. "Alright, I'm coming..." He sighed and Selphie clung to him, while Wakka and Pence watched, still chuckling.

Meanwhile, Aerith and Cloud were sitting on the couches near the doors with Leon, talking non-stop. They'd attempted to get Leon to get off his ass and do something besides sit around and look bored several times but failed. After a while, they left him alone and went off to find something else to do.

Riku never showed up, just like he said he wouldn't, and Hayner and Olette literally did nothing but dance. They didn't even stop for two seconds to get something to eat or drink. They were totally caught up in the fun they were having.

Roxas spent at least an hour flirting with the DJ, like he usually did, and then was shooed away.

As the dance continued, the music began to slowly turn from fast, up-beat songs to slower, more relaxed songs. The dance was nearly over around 12 AM. half the students there were tired out and lazily lounging around while the other half was still totally awake and dancing. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, Roxas joined Selphie at the food-covered tables and stuffed his face with the goods. After, when he was stuffed and just a little bit dizzy, he took a seat at the same table with Pence and Wakka, who hadn't budged the entire time.

The music was all slow, cheesy stuff by now and the only people on the dance floor in front of the DJ booth were a bunch of couples. That included Cloud and Aerith, Sora and Kairi, Hayner and Olette, and surprisingly, Tidus and Selphie. Wakka and Pence cracked up and couldn't stop laughing. Tidus would really get it later.

Just then, at the absolute wrong time, Roxas realized he hadn't seen Kim the entire time. He didn't really mind, he just felt a little weird thinking about her. Like the roller-coaster feeling from before. He swallowed and grabbed a can of soda and drank the whole thing, but it still didn't go away.

"Hey, Roxas!" Pence waved a hand in front of his friend. "Are you okay? You look kinda sick? Maybe you should go home and rest."

Roxas smacked his hand away. "Man, I'm fine." He then got up, finding the sudden urge to find Kim. "I gotta go for a second."

"The bathroom's open if you need to barf!" Wakka laughed.

Roxas rolled his eyes.

He found Kim sitting next to the tables. Her arms were folded over her lap and her head was hanging down limply. She looked like she was sleeping.

Roxas kneeled down beside her and waved his hand. "Kim?"

Kim flinched suddenly, opened one of her eyes, and raised an eyebrow. "_What_?" Kim asked coldly, looking disturbed.

"You alright?" Roxas asked.

Kim yawned, and then scowled at him. "I'm just great. Could you leave me alone now?"

Roxas inhaled and rolled his eyes again. "Whatever, Miss Bitch."

Kim closed her eyes again and looked like she'd just fallen asleep again.

Roxas shook his head. _Girls..._

**000**

Sora drove Kairi home and opened the door for her, helping her out of the car and walking her to her door with her hand held tightly in his.

The night with her had been absolutely wonderful. He couldn't be more happy... Or love struck. Kairi had asked Sora more than once if he was okay, because he looked kinda ill (love struck boys always look sick), but he'd shake his head and say he was fine every time, because, really, he was better than fine.

And who knew Sora knew how to dance? He'd hardly danced at all before that night, and as Kairi had said, he was pretty good at it. She even told him about all the other girls who looked jealous, and how she'd glared and then laughed at all of them. They both felt pretty lucky.

"Thanks, Sora." Kairi giggled when Sora lightly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead gently, silently saying goodbye for the night. "I had a really great time."

Sora laughed against her skin and looked at her. "No problem," he flashed his cheesy grin. It nearly made Kairi melt. She'd felt closer to him than she'd ever been before the past month. She really had.

She couldn't wait to see Namine again and tell her _all_ about it.

Sora slowly let go of her and watched her walk inside before she gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked back to the car and got in, and pulled out of the driveway. He waited in front of her house until he could see her waving at him from her bedroom window. He smiled, waved back, and was on his way back home.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** Like I said, review or I won't update. For a while, at least.

Lol, I know you're all out there somewhere...

AWARDS

Top reviewer: **The Darkside Incarnate!!!!** _I am SO happy that you review every chapter. I'm always looking forward to your reviews. PLEASE don't be a butthead like everyone else and not review -cry- Your reviews are always making me smile You totally deserve 1st place. _

2nd place: **hanakitsunechan7!!!** _XD Your reviews are so FUNNY! I'm glad you like the Roxas/Kim paring. _

3rd place:**XFireFistAceX!!** _Thanks so much, new best friend. _

4th place: **kenshinroks2111!** _You're awesome. _

AH HAH!

For some odd reason, I have the urge to tell everyone what i listen to when I write XD

So for the first time ever (and get used to it) this is what i listened to while writing this chapter. And don't make fun of my choice in music:D haha.

**Chemicals React**

**Potentail Breakup Song**

**Boats and Birds**

**Boyfriend**

**All good things (come to an end) **

**I Climb**

**Rockstar**

**So long self**

And I listened to all of these songs over and over again XD

I listen to the lamest things X3

ABOUT ME

It was the weirdest thing today... My 9 year olf sister and I were sitting at the table eating shrimp salad for lunch (or at least she was) and we were discussing the stupidest things. Like, we talked about cancer, more ways the world could end tomorrow, famous poetry, and old fashion bikes. My mom was staring at up the WHOLE TIME!

And then when we talked about a famous poet, Frost, she told me what she thinks his short poem "Shall I compare thee to a summer day?" means.

She said, "I think he was just trying to tell some chick she was hot."

I busted up laughing so hard and my mom turned to my dad, this weird look on her face, and told my dad what my 9 year old sister had said. My dad laughed and said, "That's right, actually."

Then my sister told us she got it off her favorite show.

Kinda an odd conversation XD

BYE!

I took a picture of Ethan's butt at camp-Cracker-Jacks000 (lol)


	49. Catching Up

**A/N: **Thanks a lot to the people who reviewed! And finally, it's chapter 49. Namine's back!

Don't forget to review!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Um... _No._

**CHAPTER 49**

**_Sora laughed against her skin and looked at her. "No problem," he flashed his cheesy grin. It nearly made Kairi melt. She'd felt closer to him than she'd ever been before the past month. She really had._**

**_She couldn't wait to see Namine again and tell her all about it._**

**_Sora slowly let go of her and watched her walk inside before she gave him a light kiss on the cheek._**

**_Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked back to the car and got in, and pulled out of the driveway. He waited in front of her house until he could see her waving at him from her bedroom window. He smiled, waved back, and was on his way back home._**

"I couldn't just go by myself?" Riku asked, feeling annoyed that Sora had decided to tag along when Riku went to go buy the ring.

"I have to see this 4 thousand dollar ring!" Sora exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

Riku shrugged and pushed through the doors to the jewelry store, waiting for Sora to shut the doors behind them.

"Jesus..." Sora stared wide-eyed at the store. It was huge and had diamonds and gems, whatever, everywhere. Everyone was dressed like they were ready to go to a dance or a dinner, which kind of made him a little uneasy because he'd thrown on a pair of jeans and called it great. Everyone was staring at them while Riku walked up to the front desk, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Yes?" The person at the desk asked them, looking disgusted. What were a few careless teenagers doing in a store like this?

"I have a ring on hold." Riku explained, feeling the money in his pocket with the tips of his fingers.

"Oh?" The person at the desk, who's name tag read_ "Tarsus", _Began typing in a few things to the computer. "Name?" He asked.

"Riku."

"Just a second..." Tarsus ran into the back room for a second and came back, setting a box on his desk and then continued to type on the computer. "Alright... That'll be five thousand."

"Five thousand!" Sora exclaimed, catching the attention of quite a few people.

Riku's heart sank. "What? Wasn't it four thousand?"

"The price was raised." Tarsus lifted his head a little, a wise-ass smirk on his face. Riku felt a little panicked.

"NO, it was _not_." A woman from behind smacked Tarsus's arm. "Jerk. Quit giving them a hard time." The Woman's name tag read _"Jasmine"_

She pushed Tarsus out of her way and smiled at Riku, who looked a little depressed until she shoed Tarsus away. "Do you have four thousand dollars?" She questioned sweetly.

Riku swallowed and pulled out the wad of cash from his pockets, setting it on the desk in front of her. The people who were watching shook their heads in disbelief. Since when did teenagers run around with money like this? Tarsus gawked from behind.

"Thanks," Jasmine smiled, stuffed the money in the cash register, and handed Riku the small ring box with the ring in it, and waved goodbye, "have a great day!" (A/N: In my world, there's no such thing as Tax)

"Was it like that last time you went to that place?" Sora asked as they walked out of the store.

"Yep," Riku laughed, "but who cares!? I got the ring!" Thanks to much begging, yard work, and explaining, Riku's parents loaned him the other thousand dollars he needed to get the ring-- If he promised to pay them back later. Now he was probably the happiest person on earth. He had "the ring."

_THE ring... _

"I wanna see it!" Sora stole the box from Riku.

"_Hey_!" Riku reached out to grab it from Sora but Sora turned his back to Riku and placed one hand on the lid to the box, and lifted it slowly.

Sora's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "Holy freaking crap, Riku..."

"What?" Riku asked, closing the lid and taking the box from Sora.

"Wow..." Sora looked dizzy. "Namine's going to freak out."

"Is that a good thing?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"A-_DUH_. " Sora laughed. "Everyone's gonna be _really_ jealous."

"It's great, isn't it?" Riku stole a glance at the ring again before putting it away in his pocket.

"Nervous?" Sora asked, leaning back and lacing his hands behind his head in the typical Sora pose.

"You have to ask?" Riku gave Sora this oh-my-gosh-I-think-I'm-going-to-die-in-a-good-but-bad-way look, if that made sense.

"Okay..." Sora searched for a new question. "_Excited_?"

Riku didn't say anything, but just nodded. A mix of different things was running through his head all at once. He was feeling just a little bit of everything. He wasn't too interested in thinking about it right now, though. All he really wanted to think about was seeing Namine again later today when her plane showed up. He knew - Exactly - what he wanted to do first when he saw her.

"Hey, Riku!" Sora snapped Riku back down to earth. "Quit it, will you?"

"Sorry." Riku shook his head.

"A little out-of-it today?" Sora asked. He could imagine why.

"Mm hmm," Riku hummed, smiling.

"Well..." Sora pointed over his shoulder at a bus stop. "I should probably get home now."

Riku waved and with that, Sora ran across the street and said goodbye after he reminded Riku that the plane for the Bahama's would be here the day after tomorrow.

As soon as Riku got home, He threw his things to the side; on the floor next to the door. He immediately started thinking of hiding spots for the ring.

Behind the TV? No... Namine's always looking for the remote behind there. He couldn't hide it in the couch ether, because Namine liked to search the cushions for pennies. Just thinking about some of the weird things she did made him laugh. He couldn't wait to see her in just a few hours.

_Just a few hours..._

Riku looked into the kitchen; he couldn't hide it in the cat food jar, because Namine liked to tease the cat before she feed it. Namine never liked his brother's cat. If he hid it anywhere else in the kitchen, Namine was most likely to find it in a matter of minutes.

Riku walked down the hallway, skipping the bathroom, and walked inside the small room with the computer in it. There were no hiding spots in this room, he was sure. He headed back to the kitchen and into the dinning room, but that room was almost just as empty. Riku sighed.

Next, walking into Kyle's old room, where the cat was sleeping on the bed, Riku laughed and smiled victoriously. Kyle's room was so messy you couldn't even see the floor. This was perfect. The more Riku thought about it though, the more he wanted to hide the ring somewhere else. Kyle's friends would occasionally waltz right into the house and crash in that room. What if they found the ring?

Riku shook his head and traveled down the hallway to the room that belonged to Namine and himself, and shut the door behind him as he walked in. As Riku leaned against the door, staring at every inch of the room, the most random ideas popped into his head. One of them, he actually thought about. Riku searched for something hard after he set the box down on the bed, intending on making a small hole in the wall that could easily be hidden by Namine's mirror. He finally found a hammer, not bothering to wonder why it was in his closet, and slammed it against his wall a few times until the hole was big enough for the box to fit. He fit his hand inside of it and felt for something to rest the box on so it wouldn't fall, and gently placed the box inside. Then he moved the wall mirror over and hid it before taking a step back to study it.

It worked! There was no sign at all that something worth 4 thousand dollars, and a lot of other things, was back there. Perfect.

**000**

Selphie spun in circles, humming her favorite song while she threw decorations all over the beach. Kairi was blowing up balloons and Yuffie was still in town buying party food (chips, soda,...). Riku, Roxas, and Sora all sat on the sidewalk next to the beach, wasting time before Namine's plane would arrive. It was just slightly dark outside, and Namine's plane wouldn't be here for another hour or two.

Riku wanted to go early but Selphie, Olette, and Kairi told he wasn't allowed to until last second. Riku sighed and leaned back, leaning against his arms for support and staring up at nothing.

"Don't go all blank again," Sora warned, "it's annoying."

Roxas laughed hysterically, wrapping his arms around his stomach and laying flat on his back. "Man, If my-"

Suddenly, Selphie screamed and ran towards them when Kairi had accidentally popped one of the balloons.

"Geez, chill Selphie!" Kairi giggled. "It's just a balloon." Kairi held up the piece of torn plastic for her to see.

Selphie took a deep breath, gave Kairi an irritated look, and continued doing what she was doing before. Kairi rolled her eyes and blew up more balloons.

"Food's here!" Yuffie suddenly announced from her car, slamming the door behind her and walking towards them with two large, overstuffed bags in her hands. Olette immediately went to help her.

After about an hour of preparing, the party was set up. The girls admired their work for a while before complaining to the boys that they could've helped. Roxas' excuse was "I could've helped, but you looked like you were having _so_ much fun!"

A large pile of wood for a bonfire later tonight was set kind of in the middle of the beach, an equal distance away from the Ocean as it was from the sidewalk. The food was still in the bags and set to the side next to Kairi, so Selphie wouldn't eat it, and the balloons were tied to just about everything Kairi could get her hands on. Olette had brought her radio and Selphie's decorations actually looked nice, despite the pact that she just flung them around randomly.

"Alright," Kairi sighed, "you can leave now, Riku..."

Riku smiled and shot up, but then turned back around with a dumb expression on his face. "I don't have a car..."

"I'll drive you." Sora volunteered. Sora reached into his pocket for the keys and with that the two of them were gone.

Suddenly, Olette remembered something. "Where's everyone else?" She questioned.

Selphie sat in the sand, digging her bare feet into the white sand softly. "Late." She answered.

"Oh..." Olette frowned.

"They'll be here." Kairi assured.

"Axel and Reno'll be here soon." Roxas smiled proudly. "I invited them myself."

Kairi had a look of worry on her face, and then thought for a second about what to say. "But, Namine hardly knows them... and the bonfire... Uh..."

Roxas shook his head at her. "They won't light anything on fire, or make it explode. I made them promise."

"Since when did people keep promises?" Kairi made a face.

Roxas rolled his eyes.

Selphie fell on her back and laced her hands behind her head, looking back a little to watch Kairi and Roxas. She laughed and looked ahead of her, just barely able to see the ocean from the angle she was at.

Kairi sat next to Roxas and buried her hands in the hot sand, taking a deep breath and relaxing. "You didn't invite Kim, too, did you?" She asked, still sounding annoyed.

"Hell no." Roxas shook his head violently, this really weird look on his face. Why would Kairi even ask?

**000**

Riku knew he was late. He just had to be. He looked at his watch, which read _8:03 pm._ Namine's plane was supposed to be here at 7:30 pm. Now she'd probably think he just didn't care. And he did. A lot.

"Damn it, Kairi!" Riku huffed, storming though hall after hall and through, like, a million crowds of people. This was getting irritating.

"Don't take it out on her," Sora said, shaking his head back and fourth disapprovingly, "Besides, she's not even here."

"I can only imagine the look on Namine's face right now," Riku shuddered at the thought, "heck, maybe she went home already! She's going to think all these things and-"

Sora cut him off. "No, Namine wouldn't." He laughed. "She's not like that. You - of all people - should know that."

Riku took a deep breath and slowed down a little bit. "Sorry..."

"No problem." Sora shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned wide.

"Alright..." Riku stopped for a second, scratching his head. "Where would she be...?"

Sora shrugged. "What plane did she come off of?"

Riku smiled really big and gave Sora this look. "That's it!"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Did you think she'd just be wandering around helplessly?"

They both half-walked half-ran to the place where the people from the plane that came from New York were. They finally got there five minutes later, after much shoving through crowds and help from a few managers that gave them directions. Not many people were left; most had already gone home. Riku didn't see Namine at first, and then he spotted her sitting down next to the large row of windows showing the planes take off. She was drawing on her sketch pad quietly, trying to keep herself busy. He didn't waste any time, and walked at a fast pace while Sora stayed behind.

"Namine." He called, and as soon as she looked up, Riku pulled her up onto her feet and kissed her before she could say anything. He held her face in the palms of his hands and closed his eyes, tilting her chin with the tips of his fingers. Namine responded as soon as she went out of shock-mode, which didn't take long. Totally un-aware the more than half of the room was watching, Namine wrapped her arms around his neck and got into it a little bit more, letting Riku take the lead. He deepened the kiss and sighed against her mouth just before he pulled away enough so that he could see her eyes. His forehead was still glued to hers, and he played with the ends of her hair while she just stared for a second, and then smiled.

"Took you long enough." She whispered, and then giggled.

Riku kissed her again, and again, and again, repeatedly, totally caught up in the moment. His touch became just a little more passionate as he pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing like his life depended on it. He was glad Namine hugged him back just as tight, digging her face in his neck.

Her short breaths were more relaxed now, and she softened up against him, lost in their own little world, right in the middle of the airport. "I missed you..." She whispered, tickling his ear.

Before Riku could reply, a finger poked at his shoulder and Sora's voice called his name. He looked up and over his shoulder at Sora, who smiled awkwardly. "Man, we gotta go. Remember? Kairi'll rip my head off if we're late."

"Late for what?" Namine made a face as Riku let go of her, just a little embarrassed when he noticed all of the other people staring wide-eyed.

"Nothing." Riku shook his head, trying to ignore everyone around them. Clearly, Namine's hadn't noticed yet. He was hoping she wouldn't.

"Come on!" Sora whined. "Move!"

Riku rolled his eyes and grabbed Namine's hand while the two of them followed after Sora. Namine laced their hands together and caught up with him just a little bit, looking a little rushed as she tried to keep hold of her bags. Riku reached over with his free hand and took them from her, smiling, and moved on like it was no big deal. Namine squeezed his hand and smiled at him. There was this short I-love-you silence before Sora shouted at them to hurry up again.

**000**

Namine started to question Sora when he pulled into a parking lot next to the beach, behind a row of trees hiding the beach. Sora said nothing, and waiting for Riku and Namine to catch up with him before leading the way down the long stretch of trees until there was an opening and you could see Kairi, Roxas, Axel, and Reno sitting next to the beach on the edge of the cement sidewalk.

Kairi saw them coming and dashed towards the beach, where Namine wasn't close enough to see yet. Roxas, Axel, and Reno followed her.

"What's with them?" Namine questioned.

Silence.

Not even Riku would answer her. All he really did when she looked at him quizzically was smile.

Finally, they stood in front of the beach. Everything looked pretty much deserted until everyone popped up suddenly out of their hiding spots screaming "Surprise!" Selphie and Yuffie even started to dance.

Namine screamed, and let go of Riku's hand to give Kairi the biggest hug of her life.

"We missed you, Namine!" Olette giggled.

Namine smiled warmly at all of them, and laughed as they flooded her with questions about New York. "Is it pretty there? I heard there are a lot of weird people there. Did you miss us?" Selphie asked, pouncing on Namine.

Riku and Sora stood where they were before, just kind of watching.

"Sorry, man." Sora laughed. "Kairi's idea, Y'know?"

Riku sighed. "That's okay. I'm not the only one that missed her."

_"Bring on the food!"_ They heard Selphie shout. Sora laughed hysterically. "_PARTY!_"

The music was turned on and the girls partied with Namine, not giving her one chance to escape and talk to Riku. Namine gave in, seeing as it was impossible to be with Riku until later that night. They all danced and tried to help Axel and Reno make dinner on the grill they'd brought from their own house. Most everything they made was burnt, so they ate what Yuffie brought for dinner instead. Surprisingly, they hadn't eaten all of it right away. They had a soda fight, where they shook up the cans of soda and sprayed them at each other. When they were finished, they jumped right into the ocean from the small dock because they were all sticky and came back out, stood in the sun until they were dry, and continued dancing and hanging out.

A few hours passed by while the boys played a short game of blitz ball and sat in the sand, talking, and it was dark enough out for Axel and Reno to light the bone fire. Everyone sat in a circle while Pence showed everyone the pictures he'd taken of the party when nobody was looking. Riku grabbed Namine before Selphie, Olette, or Kairi could drag her off and walked with her to the opposite side of the bonfire. The girls didn't really care. Sora and Roxas followed them, and then Kairi went and sat next to Sora instead while Wakka and Tidus argued about where they'd sit. Axel and Reno fought over the lighter while Yuffie watched them; complaining about them taking too long and then she made the fire herself.

The radio was turned off and Selphie was hugging the family sized bag of chips against her chest while Olette grabbed the bags of marshmallows and threw them around in different spots, along with a few sticks and stuff to keep warm.

Namine smiled at Riku when he threw a blanket over their shoulders and handed her a few marshmallows. An hour later, every last bag of marshmallows was empty (thanks mostly to Selphie and Yuffee), and a few people had already gone home (Tidus, Wakka, Axel, Reno, Olette, and Roxas). Namine was half asleep on Riku's shoulder, Hayner and Sora were talking about winning every Blitz Ball game in the Bahamas, Kairi and Selphie were warming up closer to the fire than they should be, and Pence was still taking pictures.

"It's s-s-soooooooo_ c-cold_." Selphie complained, holding her head next to the fire while she wrapped a blanket around herself tightly.

Kairi ignored her and stood up, making her way over to where Namine and Riku were. She lazily took a spot next to Riku, and leaned over so she could see Namine. "You awake?" She giggled.

Namine nodded slowly and yawned, leaning more against Riku and closing her eyes halfway.

Kairi looked at Riku. "Ready to go home?" She asked. "I'm pretty sure Sora and Hayner are ready to put out the fire.

"Okay." Riku looked over at the two boys, who were still in deep conversation, and laughed. Namine stood up and stretched, handing the blanket to Kairi and thanking her for the whole thing. Kairi told her it was "no big deal" and they both laughed.

"Bye!" Namine waved before she left with Riku and Sora (Sora was driving them home).

Kairi waved back and Selphie shivered. Hayner ran down to the ocean several times to fill buckets up with the ocean water to put out the fire with.

Riku sat in the back of the car with Namine and Sora took off down a few streets until they reached Riku's house, which wasn't too far away from the party in the first place. Riku lived really close to the ocean.

"See you tomorrow at school," Sora said as Riku helped Namine out of the car, "don't forget to pack for the Bahamas!" With that, he was headed back to help clean up the party.

Namine yawned and took a deep breath, about ready to pass out. It was _at least_ 2 am.

Riku carried her stuff from New York for her and set them next to her dresser in their room while Namine looked in the fridge for a bottle of water. Taking one last second to make sure there was no way to tell there was a hole in the wall, he dashed up stairs to find Namine. Namine stood up straight once she found her water and smiled sheepishly at him. "Thanks." Namine leaned against him when he stood in front of her, sighing peacefully when he wrapped his arms around her firmly. Yawning again, she pulled away stretched one arm up in the air and used her free hand to cover her mouth. "I'm so tired." She told, even though it was obvious.

Riku laughed and caught her off guard by picking her up and carrying her back down to the room. Her head fell against his chest then, and instead of insisting on being put down like she usually did, she just relaxed. As soon as Riku was in the room again, he shut the door behind them and turned off the light. He laid Namine down on one side of the bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders, and then he laid down next to her on the other side.

Namine buried her head in the pillow and faced Riku, closing her eyes after she got comfortable. Riku watched her for a minute before relaxing himself, scooting close enough to Namine to where he could wrap one arm out over her. He could see Namine smile just a little, even though he was sure she was fast asleep. Riku brushed some hair out of her face, and set his head down in front of hers, studying her features again before he leaned in next to Namine's ear and whispered "Goodnight."

Laying his head back down in front of hers, he finally closed his eyes, until he felt Namine shift and he opened them again. "Hmmm..." He heard Namine hum. "Night."

He grinned and leaned his forehead against hers, watching her eyes flutter open again. She reached out for his face and kissed his cheek, giggling against his skin. "I thought you were sleeping." Riku laughed quietly.

Namine hummed again. "Just a little."

Riku smiled again and kissed her on the forehead, and then the corner of her eyes, and then he kissed along her jawline and her nose, and stopped when his lips were hovering over hers. "I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you more."

"Nuh-uh."

They both laughed for a minute or two and relaxed again. Pulling away and leaning his head aginst Namine's again, Riku just stared at her thoughtfully before he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek, smiling warmly when she closed her eyes again and held his hand against her face with her own. "What happened to that surprise you promised me?" She asked, sighing peacefully.

Riku kissed her suddenly, holding her face closer to his with the palm of his hand for a second. It lasted for a moment before he pulled away, and chuckled._ "You'll see."_

"Whatever." Namine rolled her eyes playfully.

"Night."

"Goodnight."

Namine drifted off back to sleep and Riku wrapped his arm around her again before falling asleep himself.

**000**

The alarm clock next to Namine's head went off suddenly, starling her awake. She shook her head and reached behind her to turn if off, and then looked at the time. It read; _7:00 am. _

She turned to look in front of her at Riku, who was still sound asleep (he could sleep through anything) and she rolled her eyes, nudging him softly. "_Rikuuuu_," She whispered in his ear, her lips just barely brushing against his skin. "Wake up."

He mumbled something and shook his head stubbornly, not bothering to open his eyes. Namine laughing, thinking it was weird because usually she was the one refusing to get up.

"Come on..." She giggled, shaking him softly and giggling more when his grip around her tightened. "Up!"

Riku opened his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath and swallowing the air. "I don't want to."

Namine shook her head at him and tried to get up, but Riku's grip only tightened. "Riku!" She wiggled against him. "Get up!"

"No."

"Riku!"

"Fine." Riku gave in, and let go of her. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes for a second while Namine walked around to his side of the bed and sat next to him.

"I bought you something in New York." Namine told, yawning and stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Oh?" Riku turned his head to the side and looked at her.

"Yeah. It's a post card. My Grandma wouldn't let me send it." Namine explained, and then got up to dig through her bag for it. When she grabbed it, she handed it to Riku and smiled.

Riku took it and laughed at the picture on the front, and turned it over to read the back. It read:

_Dear Riku,_

_It sucks here. I bet it'd be fun if you were here, though. See you when I get back! I can't wait!_

_Love Namine_

"I would've written more but I ran out of space. It's kinda small. Sorry it's kinda lame... It's all I could g-" Riku cut Namine off by giving her a kiss on the lips, grabbing her arm and pulling her close enough to him so that he could. Namine smiled against his mouth and leaning into him, making Riku fall back into the bed a little.

"Thanks." Riku laughed when he pulled away, amused by the slightly shocked look on Namine's face. "It's great."

Namine started laughing hysterically all of a sudden, rolling over onto the bed and holding her stomach. Riku stood up and stretched his arms and legs while Namine laughed, and then held out a hand to help her up. Once she was on the ground, Namine managed to stop laughing (a little confused herself as to why she started laughing in the first place) and she followed Riku towards the door.

"Hey, hold on." She grabbed Riku's hand for a second and let go when he looked at her. "I'm going to get the uniform on first. While you're in the kitchen, could you leave the box of eggs out on the counter for me?"

Riku smiled and nodded, and then left. When Namine was finished getting dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror while she brushed her hair, staring closely at her face. Then she got this weird look on her face and began to question why her mirror was moved across the room.

Shrugging, she lifted the mirror and walked back to where it was before with it, and set it back against the wall. She set her hairbrush down and walked towards the door, but stopped when she noticed a hole in the wall where the mirror was. "What the hell?" She asked herself. What did Riku do?

She walked upstairs and into the kitchen, where Riku was making them both eggs so Namine wouldn't have to do it herself (like he usually did) and she walked up to him, making his attention turn to her.

Riku gave her a questioning look and Namine pointed behind her. "Why's there a hole in your room?"

Riku suddenly dropped what he was doing and his eyes widened. "U-um... Did you look in it?"

"No..." Namine raised an eyebrow. "Was I supposed to?"

Riku shook his head violently. "No." With that, he rushed to his room and pulled out the box, making sure it was hidden again in his closet before Namine came into the room, following after him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, slightly confused. She then turned away and peered inside the hole, but nothing was there.

"I'm fine." Riku assured, and then moved the mirror back over the hole.

"What happened?" Namine asked.

Riku shrugged as if he didn't know.

Later in the day, about noon, Riku and Namine were sitting alone together at their own table in the lunch room at school, telling each other about everything that happened while Namine was gone. Riku told her about the Blitz Ball game and Yuffie's birthday party, leaving the dance out of the conversation, and Namine asked a few questions before telling him about her time in New York. Every chance they got, they talked some more. Before school, in between classes, right now at lunch. They called it 'catching up.'

"So we leave to the Bahamas tomorrow?" Namine asked, excitement growing in her chest.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, and the hotels we're staying at are really nice."

Namine got this dreamy look in her eyes and leaned closer to him. "Really, like, five stars?"

"Four." Riku told. "The best for the Blitz ball team and their guests, I guess..."

"Where's the rest of the school staying?" Namine asked.

"The whole school isn't coming, only the straight A students." Riku explained.

Namine tilted her head. "Oh."

Riku held onto her hand and grinned wide at her, holding his head really close her hers. "And you know what we're going to do first when we get there?"

Namine giggled and leaned in closer to his until their noses were almost touching. _"What?"_

Riku opened his mouth to speak, but the bell rang and they had to leave. He stood up with Namine and they walked hand in hand to their next class alone, passing a few girls that still looked like they hated Namine. Namine ignored them and looked up at Riku, giving him a smile that almost made him lean down and kiss her in front of everyone. "Tell me later." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear, and she squeezed his hand playfully.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **I hope everyone liked the chapter. It kind of turned out a little differently than I planned. Don't forget to review!

AWARDS 

Top reviewer: **Nasuri-chan!!!! **_I'm so glad you like the story! _

2nd place: **The Darkside Incarnate!!!**

3rd place: **Sayshello3!!**

4th place: **Hanakitsunechan7!**

WHAT DID I LISTEN TO THIS TIME?

**Hero **by **Erique Inglesias**

**Hero (remix) **by **Erique Inglesias**

**Escape **by **Erique Inglesias**

**Rockstar **by **Nickleback**

**Misery loves it's company** by** Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**Your gaurdian angel** by **Red Jumpsuit Apparatus**

**Stronger **by** Kanye Wast**

SEE YA!

I'll update when I get another 8 reviews:D Bahamas next chapter! (kinda)

My dog likes to chase butterflies (he's a rotweiler)-Cracker-Jacks000 (lol)


	50. Take Off

**A/N: **Thanks a bunch for the reviews, everyone!

_**Bad news:**_ School starts in a month, and that means I'll only have the weekends to write, so, the chapters may be just a tiny bit shorter than they are now. But I promise to update like crazy over Christmas vacation ;D

_**Good news:**_ I wrote a brand new one shot that I'm SURE a lot of you would like. If you have any time, please go read/review it. :3 I'm told it's good.

**Disclaimer: **I only own the plot. But that totally kicks butt, so it's all good.

**CHAPTER 50**

_(Geezzzzzzzzah)_

**_Namine tilted her head. "Oh."_**

**_Riku held onto her hand and grinned wide at her, holding his head really close her hers. "And you know what we're going to do first when we get there?"_**

**_Namine giggled and leaned in closer to his until their noses were almost touching. "What?"_**

**_Riku opened his mouth to speak, but the bell rang and they had to leave. He stood up with Namine and they walked hand in hand to their next class alone, passing a few girls that still looked like they hated Namine. Namine ignored them and looked up at Riku, giving him a smile that almost made him lean down and kiss her in front of everyone. "Tell me later." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear, and she squeezed his hand playfully._**

_The same day, an hour after school was over..._

"Uh-oh..." Sora sighed.

"This is _bad_..." Wakka banged his head on the side of the school building.

"I can't believe how much of an idiot he is..."

Wakka, Sora, and Riku stood at the locked doors to the school. It was about 5 pm and the school was all locked up, back doors, front doors, windows, you name it. And guess what, Kim and Roxas were stuck inside. For lack of a better word, this was TERRIBLE. Chances of Roxas coming out of this alive were 1 to 10. Kim must be furious...

**000**

_8:30 pm._

"I hate you..." Kim crossed her arms and huffed, sitting down on the hard gym floor (located on the first level of the school) as she leaned against the wall.

"I hate you more..." Roxas sat down next to her and sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

"You're pathetic." Kim hissed.

"You're arrogant." Roxas hissed back.

"Shut-up..." Kim gazed at the ceiling with Roxas. There was just a thin piece of see through glass for the roof in the gym, so they could see stars start to show up and the sky darken. "This is your fault."

"I don't want to be here ether." Roxas tried not to hit her. Why was she always accusing him?

Kim said nothing. Ignoring him, she got up from the floor and began to walk away.

"And where do you think you're going?" Roxas stood up, shouting after her.

She stopped for a minute to turn around and look at him, "To find a place to sleep." She then continued walking away and disappeared out the doors to the gym.

"Oh..." Roxas finally said when she was gone, "Whatever then..."

For a while he paced around the large room, glancing up at the visible stars through the clear ceiling from time to time, but mostly gazing off in front of him.

Why? Why him? Why did he have to be stuck at school over night with Kim, of all people? Sure, since they considered themselves 'friends' she'd lightened up a bit but still...

"Ahh!" He let out a yell and kicked the air as he gave the wall an irritated expression.

He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall next to the gym exit, taking a moment to cool off. Shaking his head at himself, he gazed up at the stars through he ceiling again, which were getting to be brighter than ever, and let it all sink in. He was locked in the school. With Kim…alone...

Wait!!! That meant no strict teachers, or students to get in the way (besides Kim) or anything!!! A huge grin formed on his face and he laughed out loud, pushing off the wall and sprinting down the hall to his locker in the boys' locker room for P.E., where he left his skate board next to a bench.

Finally entering the smelly locker room, he grabbed the skate board and left the room quickly, trying to ignore the stench that filled the area. Running far enough away and taking a moment to breath, he set the board on the floor and put one foot on it to hold it in place. When he got his breath back, he looked down at the skate board and smiled. It was the one Kim bought for him a few weeks ago.

It was his favorite.

He shook his head of all thought and got on the skate board, taking off and flying down hallways and jumping over desks and furniture and doing tricks off the top of his head. Surprisingly, after only a half hour he began to get bored. Or...worried? He's been all over the place and no sign of Kim.

Had she found a way out…already? She didn't come tell him first?

Roxas's curiosity grew to such a level that he stopped the skateboard and stood in the middle of the main student lounge, his current position, putting one foot on the skateboard so it wouldn't roll away. Examining the room, he picked up the skateboard and walked around for a while. He checked behind couches and such, then in the other lounges and even in the office.

No sign of Kim.

He sighed and set the skateboard down so he could search for her with more haste. The skateboard was getting heavy.

Now rounding another corner and heading to the second floor, where he hadn't searched yet, he searched several more hallways, looking inside classrooms briefly and still failing to find her.

Now he started to panic. He didn't even stop to think about how weird that was.

Running through the school instead of walking, he began to call her name.

"Kim!?" He yelled, sprinting from place to place, room to room, still no Kim.

Until...

He turned a corner sharply in the middle of a shout and ran right into Kim. Great...

They both fell to the ground and tumbled over each other until Roxas finally stopped on top of her in the middle of the hall.

"Uh..." He stared down at her, holding his breath, "There you are..."

In shock, Kim said nothing.

"Um," His face turned a dark shade of red, "S-sorry... About this..."

Kim still did nothing and didn't budge. After a while, nether did Roxas. They both just... laid there. No movement, no sound, nothing. And that's the way it stayed for a long time, until Kim finally spoke.

She swallowed, "You called?"

"Yeah, err, you disappeared." Roxas managed to reply without choking on his own words.

"I found a place to sleep. It's big enough for both of us... Just don't come to my side of the room..." Kim avoided his gaze and looked away stubbornly...blushing.

"Oh?"

Kim then gave him a look that made him crave to kiss her, but he didn't. That would be kind of...ew.

"You can get off me now, Roxas." Her tone was suddenly sharp. Mood-swings…same old Kim. Roxas went from wanting to kiss her to being abruptly ill.

She pushed him off of her and got up herself, brushing off her clothes and shooting Roxas glares.

Roxas grunted and helped himself up as well, ignoring Kim's death glares and mumbling.

"Follow me." She commanded after she was finished fixing her hair. She walked down the opposite hallway that Roxas came from and he followed, even though he didn't want to.

Kim ended up leading Roxas to a part of the school he hadn't seen before; all the lights were burnt out and he could hardly see a thing, considering his only light was the little moonlight that shined through the small windows. Finally, they reached a wooden door and Kim turned the rusty door knob and the two walked inside the better lit room.

Roxas began laughing so hard he nearly fell over at first sight of the room, "A padded room?" he balked, "I didn't know the school had one of these!"

"Well," She started. "Apparently they do, but they use it for storage now. But the room's warm, which beats staying anywhere else considering it is freezing."

Roxas couldn't manage to stop laughing. "Whoa," was all he could say through the laugh attack.

**000**

The two had finally settled down after a while and picked spots away from each other in the room. Kim next to the rubber window and Roxas hidden in the dark corner. But although they tried, sleeping was impossible.

"You asleep yet?" Roxas yelled from his side of the room, sitting up.

"No." Kim didn't sit up, but continued to lay down facing away from him and staring at the wall.

"Hm..." Roxas sighed and lay back down. But he sat up again after only five minutes. "Now?" He questioned.

"Why do you care?" Kim flipped over so she was still lying down, but facing him.

Roxas shrugged.

Kim rolled her eyes, "No, Roxas, I'm STILL not sleeping. It'd be nice if you let me try."

"Geez, sorry." Roxas stood up and slowly walked over to where she was laying, and sat down next to her.

"What do you want?" She asked when he sat down.

He said nothing, and stared out the window that was behind Kim. Kim watched him for a second before turning over again, facing her back to him. He didn't seem to notice she was trying to ignore him, because he just kept sitting there, staring, and staring, and _staring._ For some reason, when Kim looked over her shoulder and looked up at him, her stomach began to churn. Facing away from him again quickly and trying to pretend he didn't exist, which wasn't working very well for her. Every time she looked back at him again her stomach did back flips and her face would heat up, and then she'd wonder why her body was doing such...stupid things. She didn't think of Roxas that way. She hardly thought much of him at all.

"Kim?" Roxas finally said, startling Kim from her thoughts.

_"What?"_ Her tone was the usual- Harsh and cold. Roxas didn't mind this time, though, which got to her even more.

"Look." Roxas pointed at the window. Kim sat up and leaned over so she could see what Roxas was pointing at.

From the window, you could see most of Destiny Islands and the seemingly endless ocean. You could even see a little bit of Twighlight Town. The lights from the city shimmered like the stars and seemed to illuminate the island. It kind of reminded Roxas about that time he went to Las Vegas with his friend before school started. He could remember looking out of the window from the limo and looking at the city for the first time, awe-struck. It was nothing compared to what Destiny island looked like right now, though. Roxas smiled and Kim just stared, not really knowing what to say. She ran her fingers along the frame of the window and scooted up a little closer to it while Roxas leaned back, taking the typical "Sora pose" by lacing his fingers behind his head.

He laid down then, Kim still lost somewhere in space while she stared out the window, and he closed his eyes - Just for a second. When he closed them again, he finally drifted off to sleep, without even really realizing it. It was strange that he suddenly felt relaxed enough to do so. He could here Kim mumbling something that sounded something like "Idiot" right before he fell asleep.

**000**

Roxas woke up to the sound of the security guard screaming "Hey, you!? What're you still doing here?"

Roxas stirred, and sat up while he rubbed his eye and lazily looked up at the man. "Wha..." He was too tired to think straight.

"I said out!" The security guard pointed at the door and forced Roxas up.

"Gez, Okay, okay!" Roxas scowled. "I get it! I'm going!"

Roxas hurried down to the main floor of the school and was just about to grab his skateboard when it hit him into he face. What happened to Kim? Had she left already?

Roxas shrugged it off. It wasn't like that was the first time she's done it.

Just before Roxas left the building with his stuff, the guard stopped him and handed him a note. "I forgot to give you this," he said, "It's from the girl who was with you."

"Uh... Thanks?" Roxas grabbed the little folded up note like he almost didn't believe it. Without even opening it, he left and headed toward the train station and back to his home in Twighlight Town. Once he got home, he threw his back pack next to the door and carried his skateboard down to his room. He shut his door behind him and threw the skateboard next to his bed before sitting at his desk and opening the note.

_I left early to pack for the Bahamas. See you on the plane, I guess. _

**_I'll save you a spot._**

_-Kim_

Roxas's face turned a million shades of red. She'd... Save him a spot? Didn't she _hate_ being near him? Sure, they were "friends" but... Oh! He didn't know how to explain it. Then he thought about it more and the redness on his face went away, and he just shrugged it off, because, well, it was probably a joke. That girl would do_ anything_ to make him feel uncomfortable.

And then something smacked him in the forehead. The Bahamas! That was _today!_

He scrambled to his feet and literally attacked his closet, glancing at the clock while he threw his clothes this way and that. He reached for a large suitcase on his top shelf and pulled it out onto the floor. He opened it and began stuffing it with clothes like his life depended on it. Well, his _vacation _did. He needed to be all the way on the other side of Twighlight Town in 25 minutes. The team would kill him if he wasn't there.

Finally, he zipped the suitcase shut and grabbed his skateboard, cell phone, and a few other things before screaming "Goodbye!" To whoever might still be in the house. He left without even bothering to shut the front door. Racing over to the bus station, he just barely grabbed the back and he stepped on, watching the road fly by behind him as the bus went. He set his heavy suitcase over the edge of the railing and took a moment to catch his breath again, letting the wind blow through his gravity defying hair, which he'd decided not to leave down today.

15 minutes later and the bus had_ just _reached the airport and Roxas had 3 minutes to find his plane and hop on. His friends must have been worried sick by now. He could already imagine the amused look on Kim's face if he managed to catch the plane.

He flew through the halls and pushed past at least 100 people before he reached the door that lead outside to the plane he was supposed to be on _right now._ God! He couldn't_ believe_ what a bitch Kim was for not waking him up. He screamed at the people waiting next to the plane to wait for him, and thankfully they heard him. He showed them his ticket and they let him on the plane, like, 5 seconds before it started down the runway. The door was shut behind him quickly as the plane began to speed up.

An irritated lady led him into the area where all his friends were sitting, looking a bit worried. When he entered the room and everyone looked back at him and laughed like they'd never laughed before, you couldn't even imagine how relieved Roxas felt. He was about to take a seat by himself next to the window behind Tidus and Wakka when he heard a "Hey!" coming from the right. He looked on the right side of the plane and near the front was Kim, giving him an 'are-you-some-kind-of-idiot?' look and pointing down at the seat next to her.

"What?" She asked when Roxas sat next to her. "You didn't get the note?"

"I did..." Roxas felt kind of weird. Not uncomfortable, but close.

Kim laughed at him.

Later, when the plane was totally in the air, Sora walked up to Roxas and handed him a short letter from Hayner, and then took a seat next to Roxas.

It read:

_Hey guess what!? The plane's going to land in Florida and from there we're riding on this luxury ship all the way to the Bahamas. I'm not sure which island though. Just thought I'd fill you in. _

_Hey, why were you so late? The coach was about ready to beat the crap out of you. _

Roxas wrote back; _I slept in. _

Sora brought the note back to Hayner who wrote; _Why the hell are you sitting next to Kim? _

Roxas wrote; _I have no idea. She made me. _

Hayner caught his attention and gave him a 'you serious?' look. Roxas nodded and Sora returned to his spot next to Kairi.

Roxas stole a glance over at Kim, who was too deep in her book to notice. A smile forced itself on his face and he looked away when Kim looked up at him and made a face. Later during the flight, Roxas leaned over her way and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a quizzical look.

"The plane isn't taking us to the Bahamas." He informed.

Kim laughed like she didn't believe him. "Really…then where _are _we going?"

"Florida," Roxas started, "then we're taking a boat from there to the Bahamas."

Kim raised both her eyebrows. "Really…that's... um... interesting."

Roxas rolled his eyes and looked out of the window next to Kim, taking a second to breathe. Another 5 _hours _on this plane sitting next to her. The thought scared him yet thrilled him at the same time (for whatever reasons). An hour later Roxas felt hungry and rummaged through the small bag he'd brought along for a bag of chips, which wasn't necessary, because people were coming around handing out lunch anyways.

Kim hadn't talked to him the whole hour that had passed by. Instead, she focused on the book and was a little surprised that Roxas wasn't bugging the crap out of her, which, somewhere inside herself, kind of disappointed her.

She was just a few more pages from finishing the book when Roxas leaned her way again with an apple, which he offered her.

"No." She shook her head simply and Roxas shrugged, and then ate the apple himself.

When he was finished, and Kim was on the very last page and really getting into it, Roxas leaned over again and pushed her a little bit. "Is that the Spanish book?"

"_German..." _Kim replied with irritation. "And _no,_ it is not that book."

"Oh."

Kim continued reading, but 2 seconds later, he was bothering her again.

"Then what book _is_ it?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo."

"The count of _what?" _

Roxas's stupidity was really getting to her. She slammed the book shut and turned to him. "If you're not going to let me-"

"Alright," Roxas waved his hands around, cutting her off, "I get it. Continue."

Kim sighed and opened the book again, and within the minute she was shutting the book again.

"What did I do now?" Roxas asked, sounding offended.

Kim shook her head at him. "I just finished the book."

"I see..." Roxas seemed uninterested, but somewhat relieved. "Good book?"

"Duh."

"Hmm."

Kim rolled her eyes and checked her watch. Why she'd asked him to sit with her in the first place she was oblivious too. The urge kind of came from nowhere anyways.

She braced herself for more stupid questions and worthless comments from mister I-must-know-everything sitting next to her.

Roxas said nothing for a while, and then suddenly turned to her. "You bored?"

"You think?" Kim hissed.

"Want to play a game?"

"Not really," Kim rolled here eyes, "but sure."

What better was there to do?

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10." he said.

"Five." Kim answered.

"Damnit!" Roxas scowled.

Kim leaned back in her seat and waited for more of Roxas's pointless games. At least they'd keep her busy.

"What room has no door, no windows, and no walls?" Roxas asked.

"That's retarded," Kim rolled her eyes, "a mushroom."

Roxas made an annoyed grunt and thought up another one. "What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?"

"A stick."

"Jesus!" Roxas clenched his fists.

Kim laughed, amused by his frustration. Maybe the next four hours wouldn't be so bad after all.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Remember to review. I'm clueless as to where some part of all of you has gone :/

Anyways...

_**MORE GOODNEWS/BADNEWS**_

_Good News:_ I've finally gotten around to writing the contest winner's one shot! (oh yes...) The title is **Oblivion. **Also, I've written a fun little summer fic for Riku/Namine called **Summer Boys. **If you have time, It would me much appreciated if you read/reviewed both. :D

_Bad News: _I might turn **Summer Boys **into a full-blown story sometime soon, meaning I'll have to somewhat split the time I spend working on Another Story 2 with it. It shouldn't be a problem now, but when school starts soon, it_ might. _No worries though, updates will, as always, be on time.

_**AWARDS **_

Top reviewer: **Naminecrys4riku!!!! **_Thanks for reviewing everything you missed! _

2nd place: **Jakall Alivair!!! **_;D Nice to have ya back!_

3rd place: **The Darkside Incarnate!! **_I hope you're back soon :D have fun moving!_

4th place:**XFireFistAceX! **_You rock :D_

_**WHAT DID I LISTEN TO THIS TIME?**_

**I Hope You Dance **by **Lea Ann Womack**

**All The Small Things **by **Blink 182**

**Man Eater **by **Nelly Furtado**

**Six Feet From The Edge** by **Creed**

**All The Same **by **The Sick Puppies**

**Be My Escape **by **Relient K**

_**SEE YA!**_

If You want a few spoilers, I've got them hidden all over the place on the Fansite (For link, go to profile)

If I had something stupid to say; I'd put it here-Cracker-Jacks000 


	51. Passing Glances and Death Glares

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! I'll reach 600 reviews in no time (and then I can tell Bethanie I told her so) haha. Thanks again!

Oh! There's some stuff I want you to check out in the bottom authors note before you review. Just a few little things.

**Disclaimer:** Pah-_lease!_

**CHAPTER 51**

_**Roxas made an annoyed grunt and thought up another one. "What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?" **_

_**"A stick."**_

_**"Jesus!" Roxas clenched his fists.**_

_**Kim laughed, amused by his frustration. Maybe the next four hours wouldn't be so bad after all. **_

Two hours later and Roxas was still throwing pointless stuff at her. After the riddles, they played the guessing game. When that was boring, Roxas tried to make her laugh with stupid jokes. Then, they fought about this and that non-stop. Kim told him what a retard she thought he was while he called her every name he could think of. With time moving by slower than ever before, they really started to get on each others' nerves, not to mention everyone else's on the plane listening to their insane screaming and yelling.

"_Oooooh_." Kim had said a while ago. "_If it wasn't against the law to kill you..._"

Finally, with two hours left until the plane would reach Florida, they faced away from each other with their arms folded over their chest and disgusted looks on their faces. Kim began to wish she'd never called him her friend. What little friendship they _did_ have was on the brink of destruction. But, what would you expect? A five hour trip stuck together was bound to turn out horribly.

"I can't _believe_ you." Kim hissed. "Of a the stupid little, pathetic-"

"Well maybe if you hadn't made fun of me and the stuff I like to do," Roxas started, growling, "I wouldn't have blown up in your face!" It was true. Kim had made a few comments about him and skateboarding, Blitz Ball, ect. She'd hit a few nerves, too. Roxas hadn't been _this_ upset with anyone for years.

"Oh please," Kim scowled, "save it for someone who cares."

"I thought you did!" Roxas turned to her, hate in his eyes. "If you thought skateboards were so pointless and worthless, why did you buy me a new one?! And you've never even played Blitz Ball! How should you know if it's fun or not?!"

"It's a stupid and competitive game!" Kim shot back the same glare. "And why risk your life riding around on a board, just because you think it makes you look cool!?"

"I don't skateboard because I think it makes me look cool!" Roxas yelled louder, leaning in closer to her until their noses were nearly touching.

"Oh, _sure_." Kim gridded her teeth together and clenched her fists.

"Let's see _you _try and ride a skateboard! It's harder than it looks." Roxas wanted so bad just to start attacking her. He was about to explode with all the anger rising in his chest.

"No thanks, I'm not a total idiot," Kim started, "Unlike _someone_ I know."

That must've been the 1 millionth time she'd called him an idiot in the past two weeks. It was really started to get under his skin.

He didn't say anything, but just kept staring. Kim did the same, and that's how it stayed for a solid twenty minutes. Nothing but growling and and glares that just screamed 'I hate you.'

After a while, though, it got less intense between them. The lightning and thunder in the background and electricity shotting from eye to eye was clearing up. They still looked pissed off at each other, though. _Really_ pissed off. Finally, the two just turned away from each other and Roxas even got up to go sit next to somebody else instead, even though he wasn't supposed to. Kim didn't even take the time to care. She just stared ahead of her with that same sick look of irritation.

When Roxas sat down next to Hayner, Hayner leaned over to see Roxas's face and wiggled his eyebrows. "You okay?" He asked.

"Shut-up." Roxas said quite harshly.

"Okay, Geez..." Hayner leaned back in his seat, a little surprised. The best thing to do would to just leave Roxas alone until he cooled off. He was a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

**000**

Roxas had finally calmed down enough a hour and a half later, until he could have a normal conversation with his best friend and not freak out for no reason.

"Sorry about earlier," Roxas sighed.

"Just one of those days?" Hayner tried not to laugh. He wasn't really offended or anything in the first place, so it was all good.

"Sure."

"What happened?" Hayner questioned.

"You didn't hear us?" Roxas made a face. "I thought the whole plane did. We weren't exactly... Thinking about it."

"What? You and Kim? Yeah, I heard that." Hayner told. "Riku almost got up to see what the hell was wrong, but then he just figured it was you and Kim having another fight. Believe it or not, Namine was actually laughing for a while. She loves it when that girl's having a bad day."

"I can imagine why."

"You know," Hayner started, tapping on Roxas's shoulder, "You said some pretty mean things. Namine may have been enjoying it, but I think you should say sorry."

"Well she-"

"Be the better person." Hayner interrupted him. "Maybe she'll learn from you. You two hang out enough anyways. You could teach her a thing or two."

Roxas sighed and took a second to just sit there and stare down at the floor.

_You two hang out enough. _

Did they really spend that much time together? He'd never really thought about it before.

Hayner nudged him. "Go apologize..." Hayner reminded, pointing to the opposite side of the plane staring at the back of the seat in front of her with her arms folded over her chest, but lightly. She still looked ticked off, but there was something else in her features too. She definitely didn't look guilty, but a little upset (in a sad way), which made Roxas the one who felt guilty, even though Kim had thrown her words around more carelessly than himself. Roxas took a deep breath, and forced his feet forward, until he was standing next to the seat where Kim was. Roxas stood, and leaned over so he could get a somewhat good look at her face. She was still next to the seat he'd been sitting in before, facing Kim. She didn't look at him when he sat down.

Sighing deeply, he leaned over and craned his neck to he'd be looking up at Kim, and then her eyes shifted to look at him. Kim looked annoyed now.

"Hey, I-"

"Can't you just, y'know, shut-up and leave me alone?" Kim scowled.

Roxas sat up straight again. _Forget it. _Roxas stood again, without looking at Kim once, and began walking back towards Hayner.

"Wait!"

Roxas stopped suddenly, made a face and looked over his shoulder. Kim was staring up at him, her eyes just a _little_ bit desperate looking, which sent chills up his back and made his stomach churn. _The things girls could do to him..._

"Hn?" Roxas grunted, turning to face her in the middle of the hall when she'd gotten up and followed him.

"I..." Kim paused and looked around at the people staring at them, who actually looked quite frightened, and then grabbed Roxas's arms. "Follow me." She breathed, dragging him to the back of the plane, and then shoved him into a rather large room where all the suitcases, bags, and such were being stored.

She walked in after him and shut the metal doors behind them, her feet making loud clicking noises against the hard floor.

"What?" Roxas asked, a little scared himself. He made sure to keep a far enough distance away from her.

Kim looked like she was trying to say something, but every time she opened her mouth, nothing came out. It was kind of funny to watch. She started to look like a fish when she did it.

She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall next to him, and slid her back down it until she was sitting on the floor next to a large suitcase. Roxas eventually joined her, resting his arms on his knees.

Kim took another deep breath and lightly placed a hand over her cheek for a second before letting it fall next to her again.

"Kim?" Roxas asked suddenly.

"I-" Kim really looked like she was having a hard time trying to say whatever. She faced away from him and folded her arms again, and just forced the words from her mouth. "I'm sorry."

despite how cold she'd made the words sound, it still took Roxas by surprise. He hadn't been prepared for _that._ Maybe a beating or a few curse words, but not an "I'm sorry." It seriously caught him off guard. Speechless wouldn't even begin to cover it. Since when does Kim say sorry? She was always so 'In-your-face-bitch' that he didn't even really knew if she knew the meaning of the words.

Kim finally seemed to relax, and she leaned into the wall and brushed her hair back with her fingers. It didn't look like she was really expecting him to say anything. She probably just said it to make_ herself_ feel better, which kind of made Roxas want to explode. But she was getting better, he guessed.

"Me too." He finally said, and then Kim stood. She gave him a simply 'okay' look and then headed for the door. he got up and followed her, ready to go sit next to Hayner until she looked up at him as he passed by, looking like she expected him to sit back down next to her. So, he did without question. As soon as he sat down, a voice on the speakers came though and told everyone they'd be landing in five.

Roxas felt kind of awkward sitting next to her again. She didn't care though. Oddly, that relaxed him a little.

"So..." He broke the awkward silence and caught her sudden attention. "A boat..."

Kim raised her eyebrows for a second, and then remembered. "Mmm." She hummed.

"Have... you ever been on a boat before?" He tried to make small talk.

"Yes." Kim nodded. "Lots of times."

_Good... _He was getting somewhere; the awkwardness was slowly disappearing.

"You?" She asked.

"Nope," Roxas laughed, setting his arm on the arm rest and his feet against the empty chair in front of him, easing up. "Is it fun?"

"It's actually kind of boring." Kim thought for a second. "Relaxing... But boring."

"Wonderful," Roxas shook his head, "Hayner said we'll be on the ship for seven hours."

"I probably should have saved that last chapter..." Kim looked frustrated with herself. It amused Roxas a little.

"You can always hang out with me."

Kim looked up at him suddenly with a questioning gaze.

_Oops. _

"Uh, I mean-"

"Sure." Kim but him off. "As long as you're not planning on being annoying, or bothersome, whatever."

"Yeah," Roxas shook his head at himself, "I mean -No. I... I won't-"

"I get it." Kim laughed. She actually _laughed!_

Roxas took a second to let it replay over and over again in his head, like a broken tape recorder. Kim waved a hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers a few times to catch his attention.

"Roxas?"

Suddenly, the plane jerked and started to land, reaching the runway and slowing down smoothly until it came to a complete stop. Roxas and Kim were both back to shoving each other out of the way too look out of the plane window, fighting over who got to see first like little children.

They were back to the normal same-old same-old again. Nor surprise.

At least they got a long for, like, 5 minutes before it was over.

"Bahamas, here I come!" Selphie screamed in the background. Roxas erupted into laughter, letting Kim have the window while he struggled to keep his seat. _Bahamas, here I come!_

At last.

**000**

The ship was huge. Like the one's you'd see on T.V. or in movies. It was really fancy, too. They could hardly wait to get on it and explore, but they had to stop and check in with the coach and a few of the teachers first, and then follow them to where their suitcases and bags were being dropped off. Everyone grabbed their things and then they dragged it onto the boat, following the coach off the deck and inside, past a dining hall and a few large lounges. Everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" as they went. Finally, they reached a row of rooms where they'd be sleeping in, because the boat wouldn't reach the Bahamas until super early in the morning. About 3 a.m. The coach urged most people to start getting some sleep right away, or at least the Blitz Ball team. Not like they were going to listen, though.

As soon as people were in their rooms (two to a room) they were out and about all over the ship. Most people raced for the deck in front of the ship as it started out into the ocean, while others attacked the pastries in the dining hall. Some were even just hanging around in the super luxuriously lounges. They were told that the hotel they were staying at next to the beach in the Bahamas would be even better.

Nothing was more worth their time.

Who could ask for more?

**000**

"So..." Olette sighed peacefully, totally ready to just relax for a week. This vacation was just what she needed. Best of all, she wouldn't have to worry about making up a bunch of school work while she was gone. They brought it with them! Olette could see herself now; sitting on the beach with he cool breeze blowing through her hair, peacefully working on homework. It was a heck of a lot better than just doing it at home. "We'll be in Bimini?"

"Yeah," Hayner leaned against her chair, reaching over and stealing food off the table, "That's where they hold all the Blitz Ball stuff every year. It'll be really cool, because we'll be playing in the ocean while everyone watches underwater in this... I don't know. I'm not too sure how it works yet."

"Sounds cool." Olette giggled, reaching out towards the middle of the table for a brownie.

"Mmhm." Hayner hummed with his mouth full, and then sat next to her and swallowed. "We're playing six games total. One every day. And then the last day we're here, we're just going to pack up and kind of hang out."

"Hmmm." Olette Nodded her head slowly, and looked around the room for a second. "Hey," she started, "I want to look around a little. Want to come?"

Hayner shrugged. "Sure."

Olette smiled and they both stood up and walked out of the large, crowded room together. Most of the hallways were pretty empty. Most everyone was ether on the deck, in the pool, eating in the dinning hall, etc. As they passed the pool in the back of the ship, she spotted Tidus and Wakka laughing at Pence, who supposedly slipped, and Sora and Kairi who too caught up in their conversation to notice Hayner and Olette waving.

They shrugged and moved on, eventually ending up lost deep in the ship. They were completely alone on the level they were on. They could faintly heard the laughter from higher up, though. Olette peaked out a window, and saw nothing but ocean, because the part of the boat they were on was underwater. Hayner joined her and they watched fish swim by for a while. They walked down a few hallways with paintings covering the walls and flickering lights. They peaked in a few of the rooms, which looked like the rooms were guests would stay, but they were all empty.

Feeling just a little confused, they sat against the wall for a while. Their legs were tired and felt kinda like Jell-O. The feeling wasn't very pleasant.

"This thing is _huge_!" Hayner exclaimed, rubbing his sore legs.

"We should've just stayed where we were," Olette giggled, not really letting any of it get to her. She'd gotten to see more of the ship than most people would anyways, so she was fine with it.

"Probably."

"I wonder what everyone's doing right now..." Olette stared up at the ceiling, frowning at the light that flickered above them.

"Well," Hayner started, pondering a moment, "I can imagine Selphie's eating her heart out right now, and Roxas is probably still fighting with Kim. They've been doing that a lot lately." He laughed.

"You wanna know a secret?" Olette asked, hushing her voice a little.

Hayner leaned over and gave her a goofy grin. "What?"

"Fish scare me," she confessed, "I'm not fond of seaweed ether."

"Really?" Hayner pretended to act surprised.

"Yeah. Anything bigger than a gold fish scares me," Olette told, looking a little embarrassed. "Kind of random, huh?"

"Mmm." Hayner hummed. "I don't mind."

Olette smiled.

"So..." Hayner sarted again, looking down the dark hallway. "We should probably find a way out now..."

"Right..." Olette nodded. Hayner helped her up and smiled at her. They walked for a while longer before finding stairs. They climbed until they reached the next level of the ship, and began searching again for more. After an hour and a half, they finally reached the main level again and sighed in relief when they saw Selphie running down the hall at them, screaming.

"Hey! There you are!" Selphie shrieked. "You'll _never_ guess what happened!"

Olette gave her a quizzical look and tilted her head.

"We saw dolphins. It was really cool!" Selphie was jumping up and down by now. Sugar rush, much?

"Cool." Hayner gave her a thumbs up. With that, Selphie was gone again in an instant and they both laughed, exchanging amused looks.

"Hungry?" Hayner asked.

"Sure." Olette giggled.

**000**

"Tidus!" Selphie cried, grabbing the boys arm and tugging on it.

"What?" He asked, a little taken back by her sudden presence.

"I wanna take a Titanic picture!" She exclaimed.

"And...?" Tidus got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I need your help," she pokes his chest, "stupid!" She grabbed a hold of his hand and forcefully dragged him to the front of the ship. They reached the railing at the front and Selphie peaked over, watching the water hit the front of the ship and run by them. "Kairi!" She called, and Kairi walked up to them, camera already in hand. She looked like she was about to erupt in laughter.

"I'm ready." She told.

Selphie instructed Tidus on what he should do, and Tidus suddenly felt really embarrassed by all the attention they were getting. Selphie squealed, setting both her feet on the edge and letting her toes hang over the edge. Tidus closed his eye, letting his blonde hair cover his face when he grabbed her from behind, getting it over with.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Selphie screamed.

Kairi took the picture and there was a short flash before Kairi looked up and winked. "Cute..." She giggled.

"I wanna see it!" Selphie got back down and dashed to Kairi's side, leaning over so she could see it. Her smile grew and she spin in circles, waving at Tidus. "Come see it!" She commanded.

Tidus sighed and Kairi showed him before handing the camera to Selphie.

"I'm putting this in my locker when we get back home." She squealed, hugging the camera against her chest.

Before she dashed off in the crowd to go show everyone, though, she stood up on the tips of her toes and pecked Tidus on the cheek.

Tidus watch her run away, his face heating up where she'd kissed him. He just stood there for a while, speechless.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked, looking concerned. Lovestruck boys always looked so ill.

**000**

"Wow..." Namine leaned against the railing, taking in the sunset. It was even more beautiful when you were actually on the sea. Riku stood next to her, resting his folded arms on the rail. They both stared in awe for a while before they both looked at each other at the same time and laughed. "I'm so excited." Namine cooed.

"Me too." Riku said, brushing stay hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear for her. He smiled warmly at her before looking back into the ocean. He arched his back a little and sighed, closing his eyes for a second. He took a deep breath and let the cool, afternoon air fill his lungs. He opened his eyes again and faced her again, still smiling. "I have this feeling we're going to have a good time."

Namine giggled, feeling totally relaxed. After going through a month of being locked up in her grandmas house alone, having to listen to the screaming coming from the streets of New York, she was glad this was where she was. She suddenly felt a little sad when Riku looked away from her to gaze out into the sea again.

Namine and Riku were pretty much alone out on this part on the deck. A large part of the crowd was already inside eating dinner or sleeping, and the other part of the crowd was ether still at the pool or in the front on the boat. They were finally, almost 100 alone and Riku suddenly seemed distant.

Namine shook her head and joined him again. She sighed peacfully when a breeze pushed her hair back and caressed her cheeks. She smiled when she felt Riku's hand reach over and grab hers, lacing their fingers together. His hand was warm against hers, making her whole body seem to heat up. He rubbed her fingers with his thumb, pausing for a second over her ring finger and then moving on.

Namine bit her bottom lip, a wave of the lonlieness from New York she'd felt wash over her. She hated the feeling. She was confused as to why she was suddenly feeling it again. She sighed and found herself staring at Rikua again. Even though he was standing right in front of her... She wanted more. She _needed_ more.

Riku seemed to feel the same way, too, because as soon as he was sure nobody was around to watch (avoiding another public display of affection would be smart) he let go of her hand and grabbed a hold of her, wrapping his arms around her with so much force that it was hard for Namine to breath. She hugged him back with just as much force, though.

"I love you..." Riku whispered in her ear, burrying his face in her hair.

Namine took in the smell of TAG and coffee coming from his shirt. She nuzzled her head in his neck and suddenly felt comfortable again, there in his arms. "I love you too."

There was a silence. A sweet one.

Riku pulled away a little, and moved his hands to her hips, and held onto them firmly while he leaned his forehead against Namine's. Namine cupped Riku's left cheek with the palm of her hand while her free arm was wrapped around his neck tightly. She smiled and bit her bottom lip softly when Riku leaned in closer. Namine always loved the short moment before their lips would touch, when her stomach did back flips. It was almost as great as the kissing itself.

Namine closed her eyes and leaning into his chest, kissing him back when he pushed her back against the railing gently, tightening his grip on her hips. Namine giggled against his lips and pulled away for a second, her eyes glowing with happiness. Everything about her radiated. Namine let go of his face and Riku lifted both his hands to her cheeks, pulling her face into his again sweetly, pressing his lips against hers with this passion. Namine knew he'd been waiting all day for this, too.

Her heart pounded against her chest. If it were possible to be any more in love with Riku, she might explode.

Life at this very moment seemed amazing.

Riku pulled back only a little bit, letting his lips brush softly against hers when he spoke. "Tired?" He asked, suddenly realizing that nearly everyone on the boat was probably sleeping right now.

"Hmmm." Namine hummed when Riku made a small trail of kisses down her neck.

Riku looked up again, and their eyes locked.

"Are _you_ tired?"

"I asked first."

Namine giggled. Namine kissed him again, giving him her answer. Riku caressed her cheeks and smiled, kissing every inch of her face. The corners of her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, all of it. Namine drew a small heart on his back when their lips met a fourth time, and locked. Absolutely wrapped up in the moment, nothing could be more perfect.

**000**

Roxas and Kim were playing, like, their 50th game of pool in the arcade, located in a room pretty close to the pool. Out of all the games they'd played, Roxas lost everything miserably. Was there no end tot he torture? Why the hell was _Kim_ so good at everything?

"I win." Kim threw back her head and laughed. "Again."

Roxas mumbled something under his breath and set the pool table up for another game. "Yeah, Yeah..."

Kim leaned against the wall and watched him, tapping her foot on the ground. If she had to play another easy game of pool, she might go insane. "We should do something else."

"Not until I win!" Roxas said stubbornly.

Kim rolled her eyes and thought about all the other things she could be doing right now; reading, swimming, eating, star gazing, _sleeping._ "Don't be such a kid."

Roxas scowled and stepped aside, ready for her to break. Kim sighed and pushed off the wall, but refused to play again.

"No thanks." She hissed, walking right past him and headed for the dock.

"Hey, wait!" Roxas ran after her. Once he caught up, he followed her up to the front of the boat (where only a few people were at this time of night) and sat next to her in one of the dark blue chairs, the long kind you'd find next to pools of on the beach.

Kim took a long, deep breath and relaxed, glad Roxas wasn't complaining like a two year old. If he wanted to hang around her, they were going to do what _she_ wanted.

**000**

"Oh My-" Selphie was cut off.

"Freaking GOD!" Kairi finished her sentence. The hotel they were staying at was probably _the_ _most_ fancy they'd ever seen. Not even the hotel they'd stayed at in Vegas could beat it. Heck, the _Davenport _hotel couldn't beat it and that place was almost literally an f'ing palace! This was definitely not your typical one-week-in-the-Ramada.

Selphie danced, spinning on her toes. "This is so_ cool_!"

Olette stared in awe, clasping both her hands together. "I can't even imagine what it's like inside..."

They were standing just outside of the hotel. The hotel, they were told, was in walking distance from the beach. And for a good reason; they were here for Blitz Ball. The beach is usually where the team practiced, anyways.

Namine held tightly onto Riku's hand, excitement and eagerness building up in her chest. Just thinking about staying here with Riku almost made her melt into a puddle of sappy Namine'ness. Yeah, they wouldn't be around each other 24/7 like in Hawaii, but who cares? Look at this place! Something told her she'd get along just fine without her boyfriend for an hour or two a day.

Riku squeezed her hand back, giving her an excited, bright smile. He looked just as enthused as she did.

"Oh man," Wakka gawked, "We're gonna have a great time here, ya?"

"Blitz Ball and Royal hotels," Tidus smiled, showing off his teeth, "doesn't get much better than this..."

"Come on," The coach urged for the teenagers to move it, "we don't have all day!"

Once they were in, they admired everything about the hotel until they were up to floor 13, where they stepped into a decorated hallway with a row of large rooms.

"Four to a room." The coach directed, not really caring who was in what room with whoever. He could care less. As long as his team was ready to beat the crap out of this competition.

Namine and Riku froze. _Four? _

They followed Sora and Kairi into a room, just to see what they looked like. Jaws immediately dropped to the floor. The rooms were VERY large and lavish. Most everything int he room was colored ether gold, silver, white, grey, or black. Plain colors, but they mixed brilliantly together. There were two beds; both king sized. One of the beds was colored with gold and white, while the other was black, grey, and silver. The carpet was a simple but elegant white, and the cheer curtains hanging over the windows were gold, and had ruffles all along the inside. there was a small fridge in one of the cabinets under the plasma T.V, that was built into the wall. The view from the window was breathtaking and everything in the room was put together perfectly. They could definitely live here comfortably for the next week.

"You can room with us." Sora suggested, turning around to see them still gawking at everything.

"Yeah," Namine shrugged, looking up at Riku. Why not? It was four to a room anyways, why not share it with her best friend? And she was sure Riku wouldn't mind Sora being there two. Riku'd told her before how close the two of them were. "Sure."

Riku nodded his head. "Sounds good."

Namine and Riku took the bed with the thick, black and white blanket and silver pillows while Sora and Kairi took the other, which looked the same only different colors. There were two walk-in closets on each end of the room that were completely empty. They unpacked and within the hour, everything was set and perfect. The alarm was set for the guys on 9:00 A.m, because that's how early they had to get up every day for more training.

The T.V. was already on and Namine and Kairi explored the shelves, cabinets, and counters on the opposite side of the room, close to the door. They were loaded with food, and not just a bunch of crap. Good food. And there was still a buffet on the lower level anyways. This place had everything.

Kairi peeked inside the bathroom, which was almost as big as the bedroom. The bathtub was just a little bigger than the average hot tub and had jets and bubble switches, all the good stuff. Towels hung from the wall next to the long marble topped counter, with a sink and soap and all that stuff on it.

Riku had been looking through a book that was set on an end table next to the bed, and started telling Sora about how they could order a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360, any of that stuff, for the week for free since they were from the Blitz Ball team. Even room service was free. So were all the movies you could order on T.V, and some of the stuff wasn't even in theaters yet!

Sora laid flat on his bed, lacing his fingers behind his head. "I feel like a rock star already," he commented.

Suddenly, the coach walked into the room and told Riku and Sora they had a meeting on the 5th floor in the lounge in 10 minutes. They nodded and the coach left.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Namine asked. "Because I was kind of thinking-"

"I know, I'll be back soon." Riku assured. "And after that we can go wherever you want."

Namine smiled and waved as the two boys left. Kairi gave Sora a quick hug and with that they were gone.

"Hey," Sora started, tapping Riku on the shoulder as they waited for the elevator to reach floor number five, "I thought you were broke. How're you going to take Namine anywhere?" Sora didn't looked concerned at all, just kind of amused.

"Oh yeah," Riku laughed, "I forgot to tell you. Before I left my parents house after I helped Kyle move in, he gave me a whole bunch of money. I didn't want to take it but he made me, saying 'if you don't spend it on yourself, I'm most likely going to spend it on beer, and that wouldn't be good, would it?"

"How much?" Sora asked.

"A lot," Riku shook his head, "i didn't count yet."

"Oh." Sora folded his arms. "It's too bad he didn't give you the money sooner."

"Yeah."

They were walking into the lounge now, and the meeting began once everyone else and the coach arrived. It wasn't anything serious, they were just going over things and reviewing stuff.

It took a little bit longer then they thought it would, though...

**000 **

Namine was just hanging around in the hallway next to her room, staring at paintings on the wall and large amounts of flowers in vases. Everything about this place was amazing. There wasn't a single thing out of place.

Interrupting her thoughts, though, was Kim marching down the hall way; right at her. Her blood froze for a second when she turned around to see Kim still approaching her.

"Kim?" She asked, making a face. Kim's long, blackish/brownish hair fell all over the place and partially in front of her eyes. Her fists were clenched and her entire body was _soaking wet._ This couldn't be good news.

"I'm going to kill that lame excuse for an athlete," Kim mumbled, thankfully, marching right _past_ Namine without even noticing her existance. Namine sighed; the _last_ thing she wanted was a fight.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N:** Remember to review :D

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4th place: **X- TheRandomVampire-X!**

_**ABOUT ME?**_

I went to a meeting at Applebees the other day, and our boss let everyone try all the new stuff we were putting on the menu. It was actually a pretty fun meeting, too. We played a game about all the new stuff (jeprody), and he showed us a funny video that, somehow, had something to do with what the meeting was about.

Oh, and I just remembered. I'll be away at camp again next week, so don't kill me bacuse the update will take just a little longer than a week. Just so you know :D and i made this chapter a bit longer to make up for it (I hope it did).

**_QUESTIONS ANSWERD_**

**Q:** How come you made Roxas kiss Kim so suddenly? **A: **_What? The whole skateboard thing? XD I wanted to give Kim a reason to smack him.  
_

**Q: **Those two just refuse to take the easy route don't they? **A: **_-sigh- Yes... They make everything so hard -whine- _

**Q:** Wish riku could be a little less anti-social though... is this what happens when men are separted from women?? **A: **_I have no idea. Ask the men. _

**Q: **You took a picture of a guys butt? **A:** _Yes I did. XD And he liked it. -patts Ethan on the shoulder- _

**Q:**How come Kim had her eyes closed and was sleeping? **A: **_She wasn't really sleeping. More like, thinking... I think. It's hard to explain. _

**Q:** Why didn't Roxas ask her to dance? **A: **_Because my little Roxie is stubborn and emberassed. _

**Q: **Sora a good dancer? **A: **_I know! It's hard to believe :o!_

**Q:** So roxie-kim moments up ahead?? **A: **_Oh yes... _

**Q:** When is riku going to pop the question?? **A: **_Soon enough. _

**Q: **New charactors when? **A: **_After the Bahamas._

**Q: **When is james gonna fuiger out riku's plan? **A: **_Sometime before Alaska. _

**Q: **Will Namine find the ring before hand? **A: **_No. _

**Q:** I do wonder _**why**_ Kim wanted him to sit there? Does she like being annoyed? **A: **_She likes the attention. Especially from Roxas :3_

_**WHAT DID I LISTEN TO THIS TIME?**_

**Face down (Acoustic) **by **Red Jumpsuit Apparatic**

**Iris **by **Goo Goo Dolls**

**My World **by **The Sick Puppies**

**Only One **by **Yellowcard**

**Backwards **by **Rascal Flats**

**I Want You To Want Me **by **Cheap Trick**

_**DON'T FORGET TO**_

R&R **_Summer Boys _**(my new fic) :3!!

_**SEE YA!**_

_Gotta go pack! _

I'm chill.You're chill. Let's chill.-Cracker-Jacks000 


	52. Get out of My Bathroom

**A/N: **Alright, I'm back from camp (hooray!) So here's my late update. Sorry it's so late! (tear)

Oh, and it was my dogs birthday last Saturday :)

**Disclaimer: **_After 52 chapters, I'__m sure they get the point_

**CHAPTER 52**

**_Namine was just hanging around in the hallway next to her room, staring at paintings on the wall and large amounts of flowers in vases. Everything about this place was amazing. There wasn't a single thing out of place. _**

**_Interrupting her thoughts, though, was Kim marching down the hall way; right at her. Her blood froze for a second when she turned around to see Kim still approaching her. _**

**_"Kim?" She asked, making a face. Kim's long, blackish/brownish hair fell all over the place and partially in front of her eyes. Her fists were clenched and her entire body was soaking wet. This couldn't be good news. _**

**_"I'm going to kill that lame excuse for an athlete," Kim mumbled, thankfully, marching right past Namine without even noticing her existence. Namine sighed; the last thing she wanted was a fight. _**

"What took so long?" Namine asked when Riku walked into their room. She was sitting on the floor with a bag of popcorn and a movie was playing on the Plasma T.V. "I've watched this movie, like, 2 times already since you've been gone."

Riku rubbed the back of his neck and half smiled, "The meeting took longer than I thought it would. The coach went into _elaborate_ detail about _everything_."

"Oh." Namine made a face.

"Still feel up for that date?" Riku asked kind of nervously.

Namine laughed and got up, throwing away the half-empty bag of over-salted popcorn. "Why wouldn't I be?"

**000**

Kim stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom connected to her hotel room, leaving the door open while she tried to wipe away the mascara running down her cheeks. She still wasn't dry, her clothes were drenched. A puddle formed around her feet on the tiled floor.

Kim scowled when the makeup was proving to be more than hard to remove. She looked like a freaking clown.

Just then, she heard the door to her room creek open. She waited, listening to the footsteps, until Roxas appeared at the doorway to the bathroom. He leaned against the doors frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

Kim glared at him. "Yes?" She asked coldly.

Roxas just stared for a moment, not really showing any emotion.

"_Yes_?" She asked again. "What do you want?"

Again, silence.

Kim turned back to the mirror and continued washing her face, irritated. "If you don' have anything to say, leave."

Roxas sighed and unfolded his arms. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, letting his arms hang at his sides. "It was an accident, okay?"

"Pfft," Kim rolled her eyes, "whatever."

"I'm serious!" Roxas looked at her, pushing himself off the door frame and stepping into the room.

"Don't lie to me!" Kim put down the wet wash cloth she was holding. She turned to face him and clenched her fists. "You pushed me in that pool on purpose!"

"No I didn't," Roxas defended himself, "I'm not lying."

Kim huffed, "I don't believe you."

Roxas took a second before he replied to examine her face. Her make-up was a mess, and a trail of black lead down from her eyes to her chin in crooked lines. He couldn't believe how different she looked without most of her make-up, too. Besides the Mascara, she didn't look bad. The natural look suited her way better.

Not like he was noticing.

Kim eyed him impatiently.

He sighed again, deeply. "Well, you should."

"You're not even going to apologize?" Kim asked, glaring.

Suddenly, for just a second or two, their eyes locked and Roxas's whole body tensed up. The feeling was incredibly weird. Kim's big, silver eyes didn't seem so harsh for the short moment. Even though he wanted too, he couldn't stop staring.

Kim growled and brushed past him, their shoulders bumping into each other as she moved away from him.

"Get out of my bathroom."

**000**

Riku and Namine had decided, instead of finding somewhere to eat (they both weren't hungry), that they'd just take a walk around town. Namine brought her digital camera and took at least 50 pictures of the small town next to the beach. The two looked around in a few stores but didn't feel like buying anything. They took a walk through a small park and messed around on the tree swings for a while before they wandered off to the beach, deep in conversation the entire way. The sun was just about to set.

Namine sat down in the sand close to the ocean, leaning back and stretching her legs out from the walk. Riku sat down next to her and laid on his back, lacing his hands behind his head in the classic Sora pose as he started up at the sky, squinting because of the sun's light.

Namine stared down at him and smiled. "Staring at the sun won't do any good for your eyes, Riku," she giggled.

Riku laughed. It was the kind of laugh that gave you those warm fuzzies. "I know." He lifted his hand up to his face to block the sunlight and sighed peacefully, looking up at Namine and grinning.

"Hey," Namine started, hugging her knees to her chest and staring out over the horizon for a moment, "I'm kind of hungry. Ice cream?"

Riku let the back of his head sink into the sand. "That sounds really good right about now."

Namine smiled wide and stood, kicking off her sandals and pointing at the small cold stone creamery building about a football field's length away. "I'll be right back!"

"Uh-" Before he could get up and follow her, she was already half way there, trying to dig money out of her pocket while she ran.

Riku sat up and took a second to admire her. The way the wind pushed back her hair when she ran and her breathtaking smile made him laugh. She'd been in the best mood he'd seen her in for a while all day. It was nice to know she was having a good time.

He shook his head and the sand fell out of his hair and onto his shoulders. He turned his attention to the ocean and stared in awe as the sun had just started to set in the sky. The way the sun's light reflected off the ocean was truly brilliant. It would've been the perfect time for that question, if he'd brought the ring; which was still in his hotel room, probably in his coat pocket. He didn't mind, though. Asking later when they'd been on the Island a while might be a better idea anyways.

"Okay," Namine said suddenly, sitting down next to Riku and handing him a vanilla ice cream cone, "I'm back."

"Thanks." Riku gave her an 'I-should've-paid' look and then smiled.

Namine took a big bite of her own ice cream. "You're welcome," she said. It felt good that Riku wasn't paying for once. She felt a whole lot better this way.

"So," Riku started, trying to start up some kind of a conversation, "this place is pretty cool, huh?"

Namine smiled, "Yeah, it is."

"I still can't believe the school is paying for us to stay at that hotel," Riku told, "I have no idea where they could've gotten the money. I heard all the other teams from other schools are staying in hotels that aren't nearly as fancy."

Namine shrugged. "I guess we're just lucky."

"Did you see the waves in the ocean this morning when we got here? The waves on Destiny Islands don't get nearly as big." Riku said, eating away at the ice cream.

"I know! There were a lot of people surfing too." Namine told.

Riku smiled at her. He tried to think of something a little more interesting to talk about, but found nothing.

Namine looked down and took another bite of her ice cream, savoring the rich taste of French vanilla. Cold stone always had the best ice cream. Period.

"Hey," Riku caught her attention, leaning over and craning his neck so he was looking up at her, "you have something on your face. "

Namine blushed, "where?!"

"Right there," Riku said, sticking his finger in his ice cream and wiping the vanilla off on her cheek.

Namine laughed. "Thanks, Riku."

"You're welcome," Riku smiled, leaning over more and kissing the ice cream off her cheek.

"Let me return the favor," Namine giggled, wiping a large part of her ice cream all over Riku's forehead.

Riku pulled back and tried to wipe off all of the vanilla from his face, laughing. "You're too kind."

**000**

"Dude," Roxas waved for Riku when he saw him enter the hotel building with Namine, "dinner's in 3 minutes. Where have you been?"

Riku looked down at Namine and smiled. "Around…"

"Come on!" Roxas pointed for the elevator. "I heard they've got steak!"

Riku laughed and the three of them headed for the large dining room where they'd eat with the rest of the Blitz Ball team.

**000**

_The next day at Blitz Ball game #1_

"GOAL!" Screamed a voice through the speakers and the crowd roared. "Destiny High's in the lead by 22 points! Whoa, who'd of guessed?"

"5 more minutes, Roxas," Riku reminded as he swam past Roxas in pursuit of the ball, "I can't believe how easy this is!"

"Yeah," Roxas laughed, following.

"GOAL!" the voice rang again.

From the crowd, in the front row, Namine, Kairi, Olette, and Selphie were cheering the team on. "Yeah!" Selphie screamed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they won the whole competition," Olette laughed, "They're beating Hollow Bastion like it's nothing."

"I know!" Namine exclaimed excitedly. She jumped up and down, "Riku looks great!"

Olette laughed.

"GOAL!" Came the speaker again with the crowd. "And it looks like Destiny High has won the first game!"

Selphie danced with Namine and Olette watched, laughing.

The team was just now getting out of the water, shacking it out of their hair and wrapping towels around their shoulders to dry off with. The girls watched them until they disappeared in the locker room.

"That's a wrap, folks," The voice coming through the speakers announced, "tomorrow Destiny High'll be facing Twighlight Town high!"

"My old school," Olette made a face. "I didn't know they were coming."

"Who cares?" Selphie asked. "Our team's going to beat them without breaking a sweat!"

"Namine!" Came Riku's voice from down the row of people. Namine looked over at him and smiled when Riku pointed his finger behind his shoulder, urging for her to go with him.

"See you at the hotel!" Namine waved goodbye to her friends and left, sprinting over to Riku and giving him hug. She suddenly pulled back when she did so, laughing. "You're still wet!"

"Yeah," Riku said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't feel like drying off."

"Obviously," Namine teased.

Riku grabbed her hand and began heading towards the exit. "Come on," he said, "let's go."

Namine giggled and followed him, keeping a firm grip on his hand so she wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

When they were finally outside and about a block away from the large building with the water dome in it, Riku stopped to stretch his arms and legs. "I'm totally beat," he said, "it was an easy game, but all the swimming killed me."

Namine laughed, reaching up to run her fingers through his wet hair. "You look pretty beat, too."

Riku grabbed her hand and smiled, "As soon as we get back to the hotel, I-"

"Riku!" Sora yelled, popping up out of nowhere. "Where'd you go? You left suddenly."

"Namine and I left." Riku told.

"Oh," Sora said, "well, the coach was looking for you."

"Why?"

Sora shrugged. "Don't ask me!"

Riku sighed and let go of Namine's hand, "I'll be right back." He said.

Namine waved. "See you later, then, I guess…"

Riku nodded. "Right."

"Did I interrupt something?" Sora asked, concerned. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Namine faced him, "really."

"Hey," Kairi said, just catching up with them, "do you want to catch the bus back to the hotel with me?" She asked.

"Sure."

**000**

"I can't believe this," Hayner huffed, resting his head in the palm of his hand and tapping his pencil on the table, staring blankly down at his homework assignment. "They're still going to make us do our homework, even when we're over 5000 miles away from home, practically on vacation?"

Olette rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

Hayner continued to stare. He hadn't even _started _on his homework yet. He hated math.

"Just staring at it isn't going to get it finished, Hayner." Olette said, catching his attention.

Hayner looked up at her for a second and then looked back down. "And how do you know that?"

"Common sense, maybe?" Olette said, irritated. Hayner had been making her that way _a lot_ lately.

"Oh gee," Hayner sighed, "Thanks."

Olette ignored him and continued working. Silence filled the room for a long time while Hayner continued to sit there and Olette came close to finishing. Every now and then, though, she'd look up when she knew he wouldn't notice her to check if he had actually done something. To her disappointment he did nothing. She began to wonder why she was ever attracted to him in the first place. He never seemed to put any effort into anything anymore.

It was like she didn't even know him anymore. Well, kind of. He'd changed a lot throughout the year, but, then again, so did she.

Everyone did.

Not that is was necessary a bad thing. _In some cases, at least._

"Well," Olette started, which startled Hayner because she hadn't talked to him for at least a half hour. He'd nearly fallen asleep on the table, "I'm tired. See you later, when you're finished."

Hayner's eyes widened. "You're done already? There's like, ten freaking pages!"

"Maybe if you'd decided to concentrate a little you'd be done too!" Olette stood up, avoiding his gaze. She grabbed her things and walked out of the room without another word. Hayner watched her as she left without saying goodbye or even turning around to look at him. Did he say something?

**000**

"There you are!" Kairi greeted Olette as she was marching down the hallway to her room. "I've looked everywhere for you! What have you been doing?"

"Homework." Olette answered simply.

"Oh." Kairi stared for a second. "What about Hayner? I take it he was with you."

"Yeah," Olette sighed, "he's still in the library."

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked, concerned. She noticed that her friend didn't look so well.

"Fine," Olette forced a smile, "perfectly fine."

"Okay…" Kairi said with uneasiness. She didn't know if she should trust Olette about it. She knew something was up. "Whatever you say…"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kairi. I think I'm going to go to sleep now; it's been a long day, You know?"

"Um," Kairi was just a little confused, "Okay. See you tomorrow then."

Olette forced another smiled and disappeared inside her room quietly, shutting the door lightly behind herself. Kairi sighed deeply stood there for a while before making her way up to the library.

She had a few questions to ask Hayner…

**000**

Kairi entered the room slowly, making her way around the corner to find Hayner at a table with his back turned to her. Kairi took long, slow footsteps until she was standing just a few feet away from Hayner at his side.

"Hayner?" She asked.

Hayner suddenly looked up at her. "What?" He asked quizzically. Kairi took time before answering to notice that Hayner hadn't started on his homework yet. Not a single mark was on the sheet.

She caught Hayner's eyes with hers and stared at him for a second, giving him this look that made his blood run cold. He suddenly felt in trouble.

"What on earth have you done to poor Olette?" She asked, walking over closer to him and placing her hand on the table.

"What makes you think it was me?"

"Honestly, Hayner!" Kairi huffed. "She was fine last time I saw her, before she came here with you."

"I'm serious!" Hayner held his hands up in front of his face. "I don't know _what's _wrong with her, okay?"

Kairi sighed, taking his word. She sat down across from him and stared down at the table for a second, before asking, "How long have you been here?"

"Few hours," Hayner told, "why?"

"You haven't even _touched _your homework." She stated, looking at him funny.

"So?"

"Isn't the coach going to, like, throw you off the team or something if you don't do it?" Kairi questioned, turning around the assignment so she could look at it better. She realized that most of the questions on there were easy.

"Nah." Hayner leaned back in his chair. "He wouldn't do that."

"Don't be so sure…" Kairi warned, handing him his homework back.

"You finished too?" Hayner asked, leaning forward again.

"I don't have the same classes as you," she told, "our homework's different."

"But you're done?"

"I'm sure everyone but you is."

Hayner sighed deeply. "Man, I gotta quit this."

"Quit what?" Kairi asked.

"_This._I never get anything done anymore. Do you have any idea how bad my grades are?" Hayner told, starting to look a bit distressed.

"I got it!" Kairi exclaimed. "Olette's probably just mad at you because you're not trying. I remember when you'd study for hours on end just to impress her. She probably just misses it." Kairi explained, feeling a little bit better. "You know Olette."

"Girls…" Hayner sighed.

Kairi huffed.

"No offence." Hayner laughed.

"Anyways," Kairi started, "I think you should get this over with, and then go apologize to Olette. She works really hard to motivate everyone, you know. Including you." Kairi handed Hayner his pencil. "She cares a lot about that stuff."

"Eh…" Hayner grimaced.

"I'll help you, if you need it." Kairi smiled. "Namine's missing, I can't find Sora ether, and only god knows what Selphie's doing right now, so I've got plenty of time to spare."

"Thanks…" Hayner took a deep breath. "Guess we better start, then…"

**000**

"You actually got him to do his homework?" Olette asked, amazed.

Kairi nodded, smiling triumphantly. "And he says he's really sorry about… You know. "

Olette half-smiled.

"So…" Kairi started, reaching over and stealing the remote from Olette so she could change the channel. "You're going to the game today, right?"

Olette suddenly burst out laughing. "Of course!" She said. "I'm not _that _mad at him. "

Kairi giggled. "Good."

"Have you seen Namine lately?" Olette asked, suddenly realizing she hadn't seen the girl since the last Blitz Ball game.

"Not since early this morning when she left," Kairi told, "Riku was with her. They're probably out in town."

"I still can't believe Riku's_ actually_ going to propose!" Olette exclaimed.

"I know!" Kairi turned, facing Olette now instead of the TV. "I'm so excited for Namine!"

"I wish I could watch," Olette giggled, "I'd love to see the look on Namine's face."

"I'm sure she'll tell us all about it for weeks," Kairi laughed.

Olette sat back and sighed peacefully. "It still amazes me how much Riku loves her," she giggled softly, "watching those two is kind of like watching those sappy love stories by Jane Austen."

"I envy her." Kairi sat back next to Olette. "Namine's so lucky."

Suddenly, the door swung open and hit the wall with a _bang!_

"We're going to be late, come on!" Selphie shrieked. "They moved the Blitz Ball game. It's in ten minutes!"

Olette gave Kairi an annoyed expression. "Don't you just _love it _when they change the schedule?"

**000**

"Holy crap!" Roxas and Sora stopped suddenly on the sidewalk next to the beach. Roxas's eyes widened as they both watched a familiar looking girl surf on the gigantic waved.

"Wow," Sora was blown away, "I wonder who that is. She's pretty good."

Roxas said nothing.

Sora waved a hand over his friends face, "Earth to Roxas! Are you okay?"

"Dude, I know who that is!" Roxas was pointing now.

"You don't think…" Sora tried to get a better look at the girl.

"It's Kim!" Roxas balked. "I didn't know she surfed!"

Sora laughed. "Surprise, surprise."

Suddenly, the two heard Selphie calling their names from behind.

"What?" Roxas asked.

"The Blitz Ball game's in less than ten minutes," Selphie told, "you _really_ need to get going."

"Crap…" Sora began to follow Selphie, but stopped when Roxas didn't follow. "You coming, Roxas?"

"Yeah, hold on. I should probably tell Kim."

"Whatever, man." Sora said before sprinting after Selphie.

Roxas walked down the beach, closer to the ocean while he watched Kim paddle in to shore on her surf board. She finally stood, holding the board at her side, and shook the salt water out of her hair. Roxas was only standing a few feet away from her when she looked up and froze completely.

"I didn't know you surfed…" Roxas said, breaking the silence.

"You…" Kim swallowed. "You were _watching_?"

"You're _really_ good." Roxas commented.

Kim scowled at him.

"I'm serious!"

Kim continued to scowl.

"Hey," Roxas started, "if you teach me how to surf, I'll teach you how to skateboard."

"No way in hell." Kim started to walk past him.

"Why no-" Roxas was cut off.

"Teach me how to play Blitz Ball instead. "

Roxas grinned. "It's a deal."

"Hey, don't you have a game you should be getting to?" Kim questioned.

"Oh, yeah," Roxas scratched the back of his head. "You coming?"

"No."

"Why not?!"

"I don't feel like it."

Roxas was about to speak again, but stopped himself. "Whatever." He shrugged, walking past her.

Not like he really expected her to come anyways. She wasn't there last time, ether. Unfortunately. She hadn't gone to a single one of his games. Ever. He was kind of hoping he might get to show off this time.

But, whatever.

"So I'll see you later?" Kim asked.

Roxas froze and slowly looked over his shoulder at her, like he couldn't understand why Kim would ask such a thing. She hated being around him, or, at least that was the impression she gave. Lately she'd been acting weird.

"What?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Roxas shook his head. "Nothing. See you later."

This was seriously weird. He'd never felt this awkward around a girl before.

Kim laughed at him.

She was obviously enjoying his confusion.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**A/N: **Again, sorry it took so long. :(

I've been busy with all sorts of things. And guess who starts school in two days? Me! I'm not looking forward to it. Not one bit.

Anyways, I posted a new chapter of If you've got the time, R&R!

**_AWARDS_**

Top reviewer:**XFireFistAceX!!!! **_Thank you very much, Sir:D_

2nd place: **SaysHello3!!!** _Yes. I am very much afraid of fish._

3rd place:**hanakitsunechan7!! **_ah hah hah xD_

4th place:**Naminecrys4Riku! **_:D_

**_ABOUT ME_**

I've watched Pride & Prejudice every night this week. That movie is crazy good! There aren't enough words in my vocabulary to describe it. DEFINITELY my favorite movie ever! It's so romantic that I, like, die every time I watch it.

And that's pretty much all I've been doing the past week besides visiting relatives and getting ready for school.

**_AN UPDATE_**

I updated the characters page on the Another Story fan site and added more pictures. :D

**_BYE!_**

Until next week….

I think old people are mean – Cracker-Jacks000


	53. The Rest Of My Life

**A/N: **Again, sorry chapter 52 took so long to post! I got_ really_ busy.

Well, school started. Joy.

_Ungh._

Updates will still be weekly! And when the holidays come, I'll update like my life depends on it :D as long as you review in time.

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Half of you has gone missing. Quit freaking me out.

**Disclaimer: **_Quit asking me. _

**CHAPTER 53**

**_Roxas shook his head. "Nothing. See you later."_**

**_This was seriously weird. He'd never felt this awkward around a girl before._**

**_Kim laughed at him._**

**_She was obviously enjoying his confusion._**

"Yeah..." Olette sighed as she walked along the sidewalk next to the beach with Kairi and Selphie, just getting back from the 2nd Blitz Ball game about a half hour ago. "Twighlight Town sucks."

"_What?_" Kairi giggled, amused. "Were you hoping they'd win or something?"

"No," Olette shook her head, "it's just kind of depressing."

"Hmm." Kairi hummed.

"I can't believe Namine didn't want to come hang out with us," Selphie huffed, "She's probably off somewhere goofing around with Riku."

"No, she's shopping for the party." Kairi corrected.

"What party?" Selphie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"The beach party tonight. The one the team's been planning since we got here. They didn't tell you about it?" Kairi questioned.

"No..." Selphie sighed.

"They probably just don't want the coach to find out," Olette told.

"Oh."

"It'll be so fun!" Kairi squealed.

"So, Is Riku shopping with Namine?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah."

"Figures."

"Roxas is with them, though." Kairi added.

"Mmm." Selphie rolled her eyes.

**000**

"How much do you think we should get?" Namine asked as they walked through the market, gazing down halls and throwing things into bags.

"Hayner said as much as we can," Roxas told, and then dug through his pocket for something, "he gave me 50 bucks."

Riku reached over and grabbed another bag of chips. "Cool."

"I can't carry any more!" Namine whined.

Riku happily took one of the bags from her. "I think we've got enough."

They went up to the counter and the cashier rung them up, the total cost coming to about 46 dollars. They took the bus back to the hotel and snuck past the coach's room over to Roxas's room, where they hid everything under one of the beds. Riku and Namine left then, waving goodbye till midnight (the party) and almost instantly after they left Hayner showed up with Wakka and Tidus.

"Done already?" Hayner asked, making himself right at home by sitting on one of the chairs and resting his feet on an end table.

"Yeah." Roxas was already sitting on his bed watching TV.

Tidus and Wakka decided to just stand where they were. "What'd you get?" Tidus asked, leaning against the wall.

"Um..." Roxas thought for a second. "Chips, soda... Other stuff..."

Just as Hayner opened his mouth to speak, someone began knocking on the door. They all stared at it for a second until the knocking became more violent. "Open up, Roxas!" The person knocking screamed.

Roxas sighed and got up, walking to the door while his friends watched. He opened the door just a little, peaking through to see who it was.

Kim stood in the middle of the hallway, furious.

Figures.

"Just a second, guys..." Roxas said, walking out into the hallway and shutting the door behind him.

Kim folded her arms across her chest and glared.

"What?" Roxas asked, giving her an 'sorry-but-I-can't-read-minds' look.

"Did you forget something?" Kim asked.

"Uh..." Roxas tried to think of something. Man... What was with him today? He'd been totally out-of-it since he woke up. "I... Don't think so..."

Kim huffed.

"Care to fill me in?" Roxas asked, shrugging his shoulders. Might as well get this over with. He'd obviously done something wrong. _Again. _

"Remember when you said to meet you at -"

Roxas cut her off.

_"Crap!" _Roxas made this face. "I am _so sorry_."

Kim raised an eyebrow, expecting him to explain why he didn't meet her on the beach like he said he would. They'd decided they would meet at noon. Roxas was _supposed_ to be teaching her how to play Blitz Ball _right now_.

"I-" Roxas paused, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. "I forgot."

Kim growled. "On purpose, I suppose."

"No!" Roxas looked up at her suddenly, waving his hands around. "Not on purpose, _I swear_."

"Don't expect me to believe you," Kim looked down of a second, tapping her feet. She looked up only to glare at him.

"I'm _really _sorry," Roxas tried to think of something to make up for his forgetfulness, "I was getting stuff for the party with-"

"_What_ party?" Kim eyed him.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you about it." Roxas said. "At midnight, there's going to be a bonfire on the beach and everything. You can come, if you want."

"You don't want me to come."

"Wh-" Roxas stopped to think. _What?_ "I... I never said that..."

Kim unfolded her arms. "Why else wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want the-"

"I can't trust you."

Roxas froze.

_I can't trust you. _

He couldn't figure out why her words stung so bad. His chest suddenly ached.

Kim said nothing. For what seemed like forever, they just stared at each other.

Roxas broke the silence, finally. "What?"

"Never mind," Kim spun around, about ready to storm off someplace where he couldn't find her, "and I'd never want to go to some party with _you_ anywa-"

Before she could finish, Roxas grabbed her wrist and turned her back around. "Wait." He said, sounding a little desperate.

"_Whaaaat?"_ Kim asked, annoyed.

Roxas caught her gaze and started at her seriously, surprising, catching her full attention. This side of Roxas was rarely ever seen. Ever.

"_Look_." Roxas started, hesitating to reach for Kim's shoulders to keep her facing him. "I'm sorry I forgot about meeting you, and I-" Roxas was surprised to find that Kim was glaring at him. Or growling... Huffing, grimacing, any of that. She just kind of... Stared. It caught him off guard. He was so wrapped up in it that he had little to no time to notice how dangerously close their faces were.

He swallowed.

"And I," he started again, his grip on her shoulders softening. "I _really_ want you to come to the party. Okay?"

Suddenly, Roxas's door shot open and into the hallway came Wakka and Tidus cashing to the opposite wall. "_Roxas_!" Tidus shrieked, "You'll never guess what! Our last game... is... on..."

The air became thick and everyone froze.

"Uh... " Wakka said quietly, "Bad timing, ya?" He whispered to Tidus.

Kim suddenly pulled away from Roxas and began her way down the hallway again without saying a word or looking back. Roxas's face heated up like a cherry as he watched her leave, taking a moment to think about what just happened. Kim reached the elevator and turned around slowly inside, looking down at her feet while the door closed in front of her.

As soon as she was gone and the sound of the elevator faded, Roxas turned to face his friends, including Hayner who'd come out to watch the whole thing.

"What the_ hell_ was that?" They seemed to all ask at the same time.

Again, silence.

Finally, Roxas spoke.

"I have no idea."

**000**

Riku and Namine snuck down to the beach with Sora, Kairi, Olette, and Selphie. Luckily, they didn't get caught. Everyone else was already at the party, probably lighting the bonfire by now. They walked down the beach for about 20 minutes before the fire came slightly into view. The party was definitely placed far enough away from the hotel.

The fire got bigger and bigger as they approached, and finally they'd reached everyone else.

"Are we late?" Sora asked once everyone's attention was focused on them.

Hayner shook his head. "No..."

Selphie shot towards Tidus and Wakka (who were still taking all the food out of the bags). Everything continued and Sora and Kairi found a spot next tot he bonfire to warm up while Olette helped Roxas and Hayner keep the fire going. Music played softly from the radio sitting next to Pence.

The party was totally different from the last beach party they threw (the one for Namine). It wasn't loud, it was quiet and calm. Off in the distance you could almost hear the waves over the music. The bonfire kept the group warm while night fell over the Island.

"Hey!" Pence called out to Riku and Namine, who were roasting marshmallows over the fire. "Say cheese!"

Namine and Riku looked over their shoulders at Pence just as the flash went off. Namine and Riku automatically started rubbing their eyes.

"Geez, Pence!" Riku complained. "Blind us..."

As the night went on, Olette and Hayner continued talking non-stop while they kept the fire going, needing no help from Roxas. Roxas eventually ended up leaving them (but they didn't notice) to take a short walk down to the beach. He stopped halfway there to take off his shoes and then kept going, soon enough reaching the water and stepping his feet in.

He sighed when his feet hit the salt water and he relaxed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He'd gotten himself into a royal mess earlier. Now probably wasn't the time to worry about it but he did anyways. That whole scene between himself and Kim wouldn't stop replaying itself in his head like a broken tape recorder.

_"I can't trust you." _

Roxas's chest ached again. It hurt twice as bad than before. He couldn't quite get why he cared so much what Kim thought. He hated the girl. Or that's what he kept telling himself.

_"You don't want me to come."_

Yeah, she was right. He didn't mean to forget to tell her about the party, but, he didn't really want her to come anyways. It seemed that 95 of the time they were around each other, they were fighting. He knew that most of the time he was making her angry on purpose, but still...

Roxas racked his hand down his face. This was_ really_ confusing. He didn't even want to think about how close he'd gotten to Kim's face earlier. Unfortunately, he couldn't get his mind off of that _particular_ part of the event. No, he wasn't worried about how he'd totally forgotten about meeting Kim, or how mad she was. He wasn't even that worried about her words, ether.

What worried him the most was that feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he was even _near_ her. Maybe _that's_ why he didn't want her to come. He could care less about their stupid little fights. That roller coaster sensation _terrified_ him. She terrified him. Heak, he was even afraid of himself!

Oh boy...

Did he have issues...

He let out a long, miserable sigh before he stepped out of the water and sat down in the sand.

There was no way, _NO WAY_, that he would ever accept the fact that he might be-

"Roxas."

Interrupting his train of thought was a voice behind him. As soon as he heard her voice, he knew who it was. He wished he was _anywhere_ but here right now. This was the worst possible time.

"We need to talk..."

The words escaped Roxas's mouth before he could stop them.

**000**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Olette asked, feeling Namine's forehead.

"I'm_ fine_," she tried to convince her friend, "I'm just tired, Okay? That's why I'm going back early."

"Mmmm..." Olette hummed, upset Namine had decided to leave early.

"You're going with her?" Hayner asked Riku, who was reaching for a bag of potato chips.

"Yeah," Riku said, "I've got homework anyways. might as well, you know?" While Olette and Hayner exchanged looks, Riku looked over and winked at Namine. Namine giggled.

"Well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow then." Olette gave up. No matter what she was going to say, it was obvious Namine wasn't staying.

"See ya!" Hayner waved while they watched the two walk down the beach, slowly disappearing off into the distance.

**000**

"Good one," Namine laughed, "your homework's been finished since this morning."

"I thought it was pretty convincing," Riku shrugged, laughing.

"I don't think Olette bought any of it." Namine said, giggling. "Sometimes, she just _knows_ things."

Their conversation carried on until they reached the hotel. They crept back up to their rooms (using the stairs instead of the elevator) and quickly shut the door behind themselves once they were inside their room.

Namine sat down on her bed and rubbed her feet (it's not easy sneaking up 28 stair cases) while Riku threw his bag of potato chips next to the TV.

"I wonder when everyone else is going to start heading back here?" Namine said, flipping off her sandals and walking over to the gigantic window. She moved the curtains out of her way and gazed out of the window, almost able to see the ocean.

"Not for at _least_ another two hours." Riku said, leaning against the wall next to the window.

Namine smiled. "Good." Namine's hair fell out from behind her ears and rested over her shoulders. "I haven't gotten to be with you alone all day."

Namine let the curtains fall in front of the window again and she looked at Riku, who grinned.

"The world_ must_ be coming to an end." Riku laughed.

Namine pushed his shoulder. "Shut-up." She laughed, walking past him. "I'll be right back," she said before grabbing a pair of Hollister gym shorts and a plain blue shirt and heading off to the bathroom to change.

While he waited, Riku grabbed a sting connected to the window and pulled the curtains back out of the way, tying them to the sides of the wall.

"I'm _never _wearing these again," Namine announced, immerging from the bathroom and throwing a dark colored pair of jeans into the closet, "they're really uncomfortable."

"But they looked so good on you," Riku laughed.

"You say that about _everything."_ Namine rolled her eyes, facing him as they stood in front of the window. The stars were clearly visible in the vast sky by now.

"That's because you look good in e_verything_." Riku chuckled.

Namine shook her head and laughed. "So," she started, putting her hands on her hips, "you mentioned a surprise?"

Riku froze for a second. Namine cocked an eyebrow. "Um..." Riku remembered that the ring was in his pocket just then. He'd started to carry it around with him, just in case. "Not yet... You'll have to wait."

"That's no fun."

"Maybe you'll look forward to it more."

Namine giggled, tugging at the ends of her shirt.

"Hey," Namine turned around, heading for the TV. "Wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Sure..." Riku shrugged. He didn't really care what they did, as long as Namine was entertained.

Namine sat on her bed (Riku sat next to her) and searched for a movie to order. After a minute or two, she found one and leaned back so she was almost laying down. Riku eventually leaned back too.

"Haven't you seen this movie already?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," Namine said, "but it's way better than all the other movies they've got."

"Ah..."

"Riku?" Namine asked, turning on her side towards him.

He tilted his head to look at her. "Hm?"

"Why'd you tell my dad about... uh, you know." Namine questioned.

"I didn't mean to," Riku told the truth, "it just kinda... came out."

Namine sighed. "Irritating, huh? He does that _all _the time to me." she told.

"What were you and Brittany talking about while we were outside?" Riku asked. "I thought I heard something when we were coming back. Was everything all right?"

Namine looked down for a second, and then back up at him. The lights were turned off, so it was a little hard to see him. "I don't want to talk about it. I can't _stand_ that woman."

Riku didn't even want to ask. He already kinda figured.

"She doesn't think we should be together," Namine told him anyways, "I told her there's _no way_ in hell I'm ever leaving you."

Riku didn't quite know what to say. They were both silence for a while, the only noise in the room coming from the wind outside or the TV.

"Oh," Riku finally said, whispering faintly. He suddenly felt bad for Namine. All he's ever heard about Brittany were bad things, and he wondered why. He looked for a way to brighten the subject.

Wrapping his arms around Namine's tiny waist, he hugged her firmly. "I'm never leaving you ether." He whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her skin. Riku reached for the remote behind Namine and turned off the TV, letting the remote fall back onto the end table when he did so. The only light in the entire room was the dim light from the moon.

Namine suddenly started laughing, drawing invisible hearts on Riku's back with her fingers. Riku was beyond glad she was laughing, the tension seems to float away in the wind. "I can't believe I ever let her get to me. It's so stupid."

Riku pulled away a little so his forehead was resting against hers. "I think I have to agree with you. That woman's insane." He laughed along with her.

A sweet, relaxing silence filled the room after that. Namine loved feeling so at peace. Forget Brittany.

Namine looked Riku in the eyes and smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Riku stared right back and decided there was no other place he'd rather be right now.

Yeah. He could definitely spend the rest of his life like this.

Riku leaned over towards her a little more, arching his back so he was almost hovering over her a little. Namine placed her right hand on his cheek, smiling even wider.

"I love you." Riku whispered, brushing his cheek against hers as he whispered in her ear.

Namine moved her hand and tangled her fingers with his hair, excitement slowly rising up in her chest when Riku pulled away enough to look at her again. After two seconds Riku couldn't stand it any more.

He leaned down and kissed her on the lips softly, in absolutely no hurry.

They had all the time in the world.

Namine sighed peacefully against his mouth as he began to deepen the kiss, moving his lips rhythmically against hers. He held onto her hips firmly, his touch becoming more passionate as time went on. He savored every minute of it. Pretty soon he was pulling away only to make a trail of kisses down Namine's neck, softly and slowly, whispering sweet nothing's as he went. The butterflies in Namine's stomach were flapping their wings so hard they might burst.

Riku moved to kiss her again. and again. Three times. Four. Five.

A half hour had already gone by like it was nothing.

Smiling against his lips, Namine tightened her arms around Riku's neck and finally whispered back, "I love you too."

**+TO BE CONTINUED+ **

**A/N: ** D: I had to cut the chapter short. Sorry.

Oh, and REVIEW! (I only got 7 :( )

No awards this time.

Random fact: I eat popcorn without butter – Cracker-Jacks000 


	54. We Need to Talk

**A/N: **Sorry the update is a week late. I was going through... "Stuff" last week. Still kinda am.

I'm not going to forget about this story or anything, and I'm trying my hardest to make time to write, I _don'_t need hatemail.

Enjoy! Hope it's not overdramatic or anything. Or boring. Idk. I'm kind of out-of-it right now.

**Disclaimer:**_ I wish._

**CHAPTER 54**

"Ungh..." Hayner moaned. "I hate this..."

Olette shook her head. Nobody liked cleaning much. It was just like Hayner to announce it.

They were picking up after their party and preparing to sneak back into the hotel and act like nothing had happened. The fire was half-out and most of the food and empty bags were thrown away. As they cleaned up, you could almost see the sun start to rise in the horizon.

"Hey," Sora started, catching his friends' attention, "Has anyone seen Roxas?"

Olette shook her head from side to side softly and Hayner shrugged. Kairi made a face and continued on picking up. "Maybe he went back early, too." She said.

"Ungh..." Pence groaned, lying in the sand facing the sky. He scratched his belly. "I think I'm gonna barf."

"Figures," Tidus chuckled, "You ate, like, 5 bags of marshmallows."

Pence groaned again.

"We gotta hurry, ya?" Wakka told. "The coach always gets up early."

Selphie laughed. "What is it, like, 2:00 a.m?"

Wakka scowled at her.

"The coach get's up at 3:00a.m..."

**000**

_We need to talk..._

Kim stared for a while. "We need to talk," was not what she was expecting to hear from Roxas, given he looked so grim. And wanted nothing to do with her. But then again, here she was, about to say the same thing when she felt the same way. Saying she was _out-of-it_ would be an understatement. She hardly knew herself anymore. In fact, it was getting to be hard to tell just _who_ exactly she really was anymore. She grimaced. Her stomach couldn't hurt any worse right now. It hurt to such an extent that she was forced to sit next to the blonde boy in front of her.

"Hm." Kim hummed, leaning back rather casually.

"I-" Roxas stopped himself abruptly. He'd forgotten what he was going to say. A mix of things popped into his head all at once. _I don't understand. - What's going on? - Are you going through this too? - Why do I care so much? - **Look what you've done!**_

Roxas hated this. He hated it with every ounce of strength in his body. He hated it with a passion. He wasn't used to such a strong, unnamed feeling. He wasn't used to any of this. Any second now he thought he might explode, scream, shout_, something!_

"First," Roxas started, forcing the words out. He thought for a second about what he should say. "I'm sorry about... You know, forgetting. And about-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Kim cut him off. She really didn't.

"But-"

"Just teach me how to play already." Kim blurted out. She wanted to avoid all serious "talk" possible and forget that morning. Forget that _anything _happened between them.

**000**

"And Destiny High wins, _again!_" A voice boomed through the speakers over the wild crowd of cheering fans. "This new team's leaving everyone in the dust!"

"It's too bad they had our team go against Hallow Bastion instead of Traverse Town," Selphie pouted as they left the stadium, "I was hoping I'd get to see them play against each other."

"Maybe later," Olette giggled, "if they're still in the game."

Kairi curled the ends of her hair in her finger. "Namine seemed pretty nervous when we told her the Traverse Town team was here. Have you seen her at all today? I think she slept in."

Selphie shrugged and Olette shook her head from side to side.

"There you are!" Sora yelled, pushing through the crowd with half the Blitz Ball team after him. "Were you guys going to leave without us, or something?"

"Girls…" Selphie corrected.

"Whatever." Roxas rolled his eyes. Selphie glared at him.

"Anyways," Sora continued, "we're supposed to meet the coach in the back. We're eating lunch out, or something."

"Okay." Kairi smiled and exchanged looks with Olette.

"I think I'm going to pass though," Riku started, waving his hand in front of his face, "I've got something I have to do."

"Me too," Roxas started to follow him, "we'll see you later."

"Uh," Sora scratched his head, "okay?" With that the two were gone.

"Hey," Tidus started, "where's Namine?"

Kairi shrugged.

"Who cares," Pence sighed, "let's just go."

"Before the coach beats the crap outa' us, ya?" Wakka chuckled.

**000**

"So, you're coming, why?" Riku asked as he walked back to the hotel with Roxas.

"I just needed an excuse to get out of that," Roxas told, "I'm… Meeting someone."

"Kim?"

"No."

"Liar."

"It's not what you think, okay?" Roxas took a deep breath. "I promised I'd teach her how to play Blitz Ball."

"Why'd you do that?" Riku cocked an eyebrow.

"Forget it," Roxas sighed, "I'll see you later." Roxas waved and left, walking around the back of the hotel when they reached the entrance. Riku shrugged and walked inside.

**000**

"He's _what?!"_ Tidus nearly chocked on his food. The coach made a face, trying to listen into the conversation but only heard faint whispers and gasps. They were, like, eavesdrop proof.

"Shh…" Kairi held her finger to her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell you, so pretend like you don't know."

"You're kidding, right?" The expression on Pences' face was priceless. "When's he going to-"

"_Shhhhhh_…." Kairi warned.

"_Right_." Tidus made a face. "Like we're going to shut-up."

"You have to!" Olette nearly shouted. "Or Riku'll never trust us."

Selphie giggled.

"You too." Olette glared.

"Fine." Selphie sighed.

"Where are they, anyways?" Pence asked.

"I don't know," Kairi said.

"What?" the coach finally asked, eager to know what they were talking about.

"Nothing." Everyone said, almost in unison. Selphie giggled again.

**000**

"Haha," Namine laughed, running her fingers through her hair as a cool, soft breeze blew it back. They were on the roof of the hotel, which was so high up you could see most of the island. Kind of. The ocean looked even more endless from where they were. "Sorry I missed the game. I slept in."

Riku shrugged. "It's okay."

_**Paper bags and plastic hearts  
All our belongings in shopping carts  
It's goodbye  
But we got one more night  
**_

"You won, right?" Namine asked, leaning against the railing and looking down, barely being able to see the people walking around on the ground. They looked smaller than ants.

"Right," Riku nodded, laughing. He rested his folded arms on the ledge next to Namine.

"Good." Namine smiled.

"We didn't play Traverse Town, though. They played against a different team." Riku informed.

"Oh." Namine made a face.

"I'm kind of glad, though. There's this-" Riku paused. "Nevermind."

"Nevermind what?" Namine asked.

"Forget about it," Riku said, "you wanna go head down to the beach, or something?" He asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't want to know who that kid on the Traverse Town team was anyways. The one who bumped into him after they lost.

"Um," Namine thought for a second, "I'm kind of hungry. Let's go get lunch first."

Riku smiled at her, then kissed her on the cheek. "Sounds good to me."

**_Throw it away  
Forget yesterday  
We'll make the great escape  
We won't hear a word they say  
They don't know us anyway_**

Riku and Namine found a small restaurant on the way to the beach that they decided to each lunch at. They sat in a booth next to the window and ordered, and then talked while they waited for their food. The restaurant looked a lot like Namine's favorite place back home. The palm trees and tropical atmosphere, everything.

Namine laughed. "This place is amazing. It's too bad we'll only be here a few more days."

"Yeah." Riku folded his arms on the table.

"It's a lot nicer than Hawaii," Namine commented, "Hawaii was overflowing with tourists. The really annoying kind."

Riku laughed. "And it's not as bad here?"

"Not really."

"It's really weird how it's snowing on Destiny islands right now, even though it's a tropical island too. I've always wondered why." Namine told, fiddling with her napkin, letting her silverware sit on the bare table.

Riku shrugged. "I kind of wondered about the same thing."

"It's a lot nicer than Traverse Town, though. That was a dirty little place." Namine made a face.

"Cid used to live there. He hates it too." Riku explained.

"Really?" Namine shook her head.

"MmHm…" Riku hummed, and then suddenly a waitress appeared with their lunch.

**_Watch it burn  
Let it die  
Cause we are finally free tonight_**

A little while later, they were walking along the beach barefoot, their shoes a ways back. They laughed and talked about this and that, enjoying the warmth from the sun.

Namine shivered a little when she stopped and let the ocean water rush over her feet. She stood ankle deep in the sea and Riku stood next to her, one hand in his pocket and the other holding onto Namine's.

Namine took a deep, relaxing breath. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, savoring the peace.

"So…" Namine started, giggling.

"Hm?" Riku questioned, shifting his attention to her.

"Valentines day is in two days," Namine told, a smile spreading across her face, "you haven't mentioned it once."

"Oh, yeah," Riku remembered, rubbing her fingers with his thumb. "Sorry."

Namine made a face, and then started laughing. "Sorry about _what_? I was just reminding you."

"Hn." Riku grunted.

**_Tonight will change our lives  
It's so good to be by your side  
But we'll cry  
We won't give up the fight  
We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs  
And they'll think it's just cause we're young  
And we'll feel so alive  
_**

"The hotel's throwing a party on Valentines day, in case you didn't know." Namine told, letting the wind blow her light blonde hair back.

"Who told you that?" Riku asked.

"Nobody. I overheard some of the maids talking about it. They throw one every year, I guess. It sounds like a big deal." Namine said.

"Ah…" Riku hummed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"I wanted to go," Namine told, tugging at the end of her shirt as she talked, "if you want to, of course."

Riku smiled warmly at her, turning to face her completely. The chilliness of the water didn't bother him anymore. "Lead the way, I'll follow." He kissed her forehead softly.

"That was seriously the cheesiest thing I think I've ever heard you say," Namine laughed, and kissed him back on the cheek, "you amaze me."

"_Sorry,_" Riku laughed.

**_Throw it away  
Forget yesterday  
We'll make the great escape  
We won't hear a word they say  
They don't know us anyway  
_**

Namine smiled, caressing his cheek with the tips of her fingers. She let go of Riku's hand and wrapped both her arms around his neck, kissing him softly. Riku sighed peacefully against her mouth and kissed her back, holding on firmly to her hips as salt water splashed gently at their feet.

"I love you," Namine giggled.

**_Watch it burn  
Let it die  
Cause we are finally free tonight_**

"I'll race you back to the hotel," Riku whispered playfully into ear, and then let go and took of ahead of her.

"Hey!" Namine shouted, racing after him. You could hear their laughter from miles away.

**000**

"God damn it!" Kim freaked after she'd missed the ball. _Again. _"How can you stand this!?"

"_It's not that hard_," Roxas rolled his eyes, annoyed. He ran to catch the run away ball and turned to face Kim from a distance, ready to throw it at her for what seemed like the millionth time. It had been two hours and they were making no progress at all.

"Says _you_," Kim hissed.

Roxas dropped the Blitz ball. "What the hell's your problem?"

"I'm fed up," Kim barked. Her lack of patience was getting the best of her. "You're a horrible teacher."

"It'd help if you followed directions," Roxas scowled.

Kim gave up, sat in the sand, and folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. Roxas sat down next to her, taking a moment to just breath. Irritated didn't even begin to cover his mood. "I don't see how you do it," Kim said; hate gleaming from her eyes as she glared at the ball.

"You just have to concentrate," Roxas told, "Uh, just… Find your happy place?"

_Happy place?_What the hell was he talking about?

"And where's that, might I ask?" Kim asked, expecting to just make him even angrier. She found joy in making him uncomfortable. She knew it was a stupid question, but Roxas answered anyways.

"Can't tell you."

"Why?"

"You'd show up."

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope you liked it. Sorry you had to wait for so little :(

I kind of… Well, I had problems with My boyfriend the past two weeks. We kinda... broke up.

Anyways:

I won't be able to update next week ether. I'm staying at loon lake in the Walkers mansion (Walkers from _Walkers Furniture_ xD) don't ask why. Some youth group thing…

**_AWARDS_**

Top reviewer: **Haru-teri22!!!! **_Thanks for being reviewer #600 :D_

2nd place:**X-The Random Vampire -X!!! **_Oh, i'm sorry. xD ah hah hah, thanks for the review. _

3rd place:**Naminecrys4Riku!! **_:D aw... Thank you!_

4th place: **Dole's Apple Juice! **_:D Thanks for reviewing!_

**_SITE UPDATES_**

I'm still working on it, but the site's been updated :D

And by the by, the song in the chapter's called "The Great Escape" by _Boys Like Girls. _

**_BYE_**

I have more sulking to do.

Maybe if I stare at the phone hard enough, he'll call – Cracker-Jacks000


	55. Take A Hike has New Meaning

**A/N: **You all have _NO IDEA _how bad I feel for not updating sooner! I finally got over all the drama that's been going on lately so I'm ready to start updating normally again :D I swear. No more late updates!

I came up with when I'll end the story. Don't worry- it's not anytime soon (for those of you who don't want it to end). I want to end it on the day I started writing the first AS. On the 2 year anniversary :D That's in April.

It'll be a nice place to end it. :) yes? No?

RoxasxKim fans'll like this one. _A lot._ They're not together yet, though. –sigh- not for a few more chapters. But close.

**Disclaimer: **This is getting _really_ annoying.

**CHAPTER 55 **

"_HA_!" Kim shouted, pointing her finger at Roxas. "HA _HA_!" She threw her head back and laughed. "I _so _told you so!"

Roxas rolled his eyes and left the Blitz ball lying at his feet. He started to dig around in his pocket.

"That'll be 5 bucks," Kim held out her had.

Roxas paid up and crossed his arms, irritated as Kim continued to shove her victory in his face. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal that she actually started getting the hang of the game. She still had a long ways to go.

Roxas sat down in the hot sand and sighed, facing the ocean. Kim sat next to him. "_And you said I couldn't do it_…" Kim smirked, waving the money in front of his face.

It was Kim's turn to be annoying. Vengeance was hers.

An hour passed by and Kim was finally satisfied. They sat quietly for a while as the sun began to come out. Roxas still couldn't understand why Kim wanted to practice so earth. And that reminded him… She hadn't even begun to show him surfboarding, and they were leaving in just a couple of days.

"So…" Roxas broke the silence.

Kim turned to look at him. "What?" She asked.

"About the surfing…"

Kim sighed. She'd totally forgotten about that. "Tomorrow…" She mumbled. Her good mood faded away into the cool morning air and disappear.

"Sweet."

"I'm not looking forward to it."

"I wasn't expecting you to."

**000 **

"A hike?" Kairi questioned.

"Mmm Hmm." Namine smiled. "I want to get a really good look at the island before I won't have the chance to."

"You want to go goof off in _there?" _Selphie made a face, pointing out of the window to the thick forest off in the distance, and the hills and small mountains behind it.

Namine nodded.

"Well I'm all for it," Riku laughed.

"I think you're insane!" Selphie threw her arms in the air. She looked incredibly animated.

"I think it sounds like fun," Kairi thought about it for a second. "Pence!" She shouted across the room.

"What?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"You're coming! Bring your camera!" She ordered.

Pence groaned. "And what if I don't want to?"

"I think we should _all _go," Olette said. She leaned over towards Hayner and snickered. "Or all of you going to sit here like bums while we're out on an adventure!?"

"Adventure?" Roxas threw back his head and laugh. "_Whatever_."

Olette growled at him.

"C'mon!" Sora clenched his fist. "We haven't all really hung out together in months. It'll be just like old times, when we were doing stuff like this together all the time!"

"God, Sora! I see you everyday! You don't need to drag me on your stupid hike!" Tidus moaned.

"_You're such a sap_…"

Roxas laughed. "This brings an all new meaning to 'go take a hike.'"

"Whatever," Namine shrugged, "I guess Riku, Sora, Olette, Kairi, and I can go check out the waterfalls and caves without you. Bye."

"Waterfalls?" Selphie's eyes grew. "Really?"

Namine nodded.

"Alright, _fine_…" Hayner gave in. "I'm coming."

"Me too." Selphie added.

"Me three." Roxas said.

Everyone finally gave in and Namine and Olette exchanged triumphant looks.

"I'll go too." A rather_ cold_ voice said. The room grew silent for a second before everyone finally looked back to see Kim, arms folded across her chest, leaning on the ledge of the door.

Namine swallowed.

"Right…" Riku eyed her. She eyed him right back. "The bus stop in an hour…"

"Okay, bye!" Namine volunteered to be the first to leave the room. She rushed past her group of friends and pushed right past Kim and out the door. The last thing she wanted was a fight. Kim's simple presence pissed her off enough.

"H-hey!" Riku chased after her.

The room grew silent again. People stared and Kim stared back, too stubborn to move. She didn't have to. Like she gave a damn what other people thought, anyways.

**000 **

"You're _insane…"_ Namine gawked, staring down at Kairi's high heels. "You're hiking in _THOSE_?"

Kairi folded her arms stubbornly. "Don't criticize me."

"Just looking at those make my feet hurt!" Namine made a face.

"Shut-up." Kairi rolled her eyes.

They walked off the bus and stood on the side of the highway with the rest of their friends, and Kim; who was actually a comforting distance away from them, arguing with Roxas about whether or not a tomato is a fruit. ("_No it's not!" "What are you, retarded?! It's a FRUIT!") _

"Where do we start?" Sora asked, staring into the thick forest. There was no trail or anything, just trees.

Namine shrugged. "Lead the way…"

"Where are we headed, anyways?" Pence asked, letting his camera hang from his neck.

"Anything. You scared we're going to get lost, or something?" Riku teased.

"_No_!" Pence blushed. Actually, he kinda was scared. He had this horrible feeling in his gut.

"Alright, alright!" Riku rolled his eyes as Pence defended himself.

"Mmmm…" Sora pondered for a moment before reaching for Kairi's hand and catching everyone's attention. "This way!" He ordered, pointing straight ahead.

**000 **

"_Unnnnnngh…_" Kairi sat down when the group decided to take a break, seeing as they were getting nowhere. All they found were trees, trees, and more trees. Pence took out a small pocket knife and began marking trees so they'd have a way back. "My feet hurt like _hellllllllll_…" Kairi's sigh was long and drawn out.

"I told you so!" Namine actually laughed. She should feel bad for her friend, but really, it was funny how Kairi never listened to anybody but herself. She always ended up paying for it in some way.

"This is getting_ seriously_ lame…" Tidus complained.

"Ya." Wakka agreed.

"Not my fault." Olette made a face. "I'm sure we'll run into something_… Eventually_."

"Eventually?" Roxas scowled. "It's been _3 hours_!"

"Sick it up." Kim hissed.

Roxas glared at her.

"Alright, how about we just take a break for a half hour and start over, okay?" Kairi suggested. "My feet hurt too much anyways."

"Sounds good to me!" Pence sat down on a boulder and reached for his camera and a new role of film.

**000 **

Kairi and Sora had taken a short walk away from where the group was resting. They didn't go too far, though. They could still almost hear their friends' laughter.

"Thanks god I brought a pair of tennis shoes, just in case." Kairi stared down at her feet.

"Hn." Sora grunted.

"I should listen to Namine more…" Kairi said, staring down at her feet as they walked. "My feet are going to hurt _so bad_ tomorrow."

"Hn." Sora grunted again.

"You don't care, huh?" Kairi looked up at him and laughed.

Sora shrugged and laughed. They stopped then and sat down, leaning against an enormous oak tree.

"So when do you think we'll run into anything interesting?" Sora asked, stretching out his legs on the ground in front of him.

"I don't know." Kairi answered.

"Hopefully soon," Sora started, rubbing the back of his neck, " 'Cause we've got another game in a few hours."

"I know." Kairi sighed. "I was kind of hoping we'd be, like, sitting next to a water fall or something right now. You know?"

"Ah…" Sora laughed. "I'm sure we'll find _something_."

"And what if we don't?"

"We will," Sora looked at her and grinned, "I promise."

Kairi giggled. "Whatever."

"_SORA! KAIRI!" _Tidus and Wakka were yelling. They could here them all the way to where they were now.

Sora sighed and got up, holding out a hand for Kairi. She took it gratefully and they went on their way back to the rest area. "Looks like it's time to go…"

Kairi grabbed his hand and laced his fingers with her, smiling up at him. "So? I'm kind of looking forward to that waterfall you just promised me."

Sora threw back his head and laughed, grinning that cheesy, trademark smile of his. He held her hand firmly and pulled her in close enough to him to where he could place a light peck on her cheek.

As soon as they reached the group, they were all on their way. Roxas and Kim were still arguing over the same old things and Pence was taking pictures of, well, _everything._

They hiked around for another hour until everyone was starting to complain again. Tidus and Wakka were bored out of their minds, Kim and Roxas had nearly driven each other insane (and everyone else who was listening), Selphie was hungry, and Pence was starting to get worried. They stopped to take a short break and debate over whether or not they should start heading back.

"What a waste of time…" Tidus groaned. "We're gonna miss our game if we don't start heading back

"Well I think we should look a little longer… Just in case…" Olette told. She seemed a little uneasy about all of this herself.

"I wanna go back!" Selphie whined. "I'm hungry!"

"Eat an apple, then!" Hayner scowled.

"No!" Selphie scowled back.

"Grow up!"

"I think we should go with Olette's idea and look a little longer. We might actually run into something interesting." Sora shrugged. Kairi looked up at him and smiled.

"What, a bear?" Wakka gave him a dumb look. "I'd rather not get eaten, ya?"

Namine stared while everyone fought with each other. She sighed and shook her head, feeling a headache coming on. This "adventure" of theirs had just crashed and burned.

"Everyone _SHUT-UP_!" Hayner shouted. All eyes were immediately on him. "Are you deaf or something? Don't you hear that?"

Silence fell over them as they just listened for a second to something that sounded like running water. Olette's smile was nearing the size or mars.

"Hayner, you genius!" Sora let out a long, relieved sigh. Breaking promises was something he didn't do. Hayner just totally saved his ass.

Hayner folded his arms smugly across his chest and grinned triumphantly. "If you'd all just have calmed down, you would've heard it before…"

"And _how_, pray tell, are we supposed to know where it's coming from?" Selphie asked, not nearly as excited as Olette was. Or anyone for that matter. Even Kim, who looked quite emotionless at the moment, had more enthusiasm than herself.

"Lets… Split up?" Roxas suggested.

"Whatever." Riku shrugged, grabbing Namine's hand and heading off in one direction. "Sounds good to me."

Before Roxas could even more, everyone but Kim and himself were gone in search of the source of the noise.

"Looks like I'm stuck with _you_." Kim looked up at him.

Roxas took a long, miserable, deep breath. "Oh joy…"

**000 **

"I think we're getting closer…" Roxas commented and they stepped over a tree that'd fallen over a long time ago.

"I'm so freaking bored." Kim moaned. Obviously, she didn't give a damn.

"Then why'd you follow me all the way out here?" Roxas glared at her.

"Uh, excuse me?" Kim hissed.

"_Sorry…"_

They searched a little more, and the noise was getting so loud by now Roxas swore they'd find it any second. He was surprised nobody had bothered to look over here. They'd all gone off in the opposite direction.

It was clear that what they were hearing was a waterfall. It was so loud that they could hardly hear themselves talk.

"Where is it?" Kim shouted over the loud falling water.

Roxas shrugged. "Keep looking!"

Kim huffed and turned around, about to start walking in that direction, when she'd almost tripped over a steep ledge. She circled her arms around like a windmill and balanced on one foot till she caught her balance again. She stared over the ledge and saw the waterfall just a few yards in the distance. "Roxas!" She called.

He quickly joined her and they just stared for a second before Roxas turned to try and find some way over there.

"What're you waiting for?" He asked as he headed over closer to a large wall of rock and stepped a small trail that you could just barely walk on that lined the wall of the cliff and up the side of the waterfall. He couldn't see where it lead beyond that. "This way!" He commanded.

Kim rolled her eyes. "_Here goes_…"

**000 **

Kim kneeled down and ran her fingers through the water while Roxas stood at the bottom of the water fall staring at the rocks that climbed up the wall. Suddenly, he started to climb up the side, almost falling once but he kept going.

Kim stood up and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing? _Asking_ to die?"

"_No…_" Roxas rolled his eyes.

Kim watched as Roxas climbed higher and higher until she got sick. Boys…

She looked away for one moment to stare at the little fish that were visible in the running water until they decided they were scared of her and dove back into their underwater homes. She sighed. "Hey, Roxas, aren't you going to tell everyone about---" Kim paused. She looked back up at the waterfall and Roxas was gone. "Roxas?"

**000 **

"Y'know, I bet we're just running in circles." Tidus complained.

Selphie thrust her hand over her head. "I vote we give up!"

"I can't even hear the water anymore," Wakka groaned. "We're just going in the wrong direction."

"HEY!"

Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie turned around and saw Hayner and Olette approaching them, waving their arms around in the air.

"_What_?" Selphie asked, all energy drained from her voice.

"Namine and Riku claim they found it. Their on their way over right now with everyone else, except for Kim and Roxas. They couldn't find them. C'mon!"

"Finally!" Tidus exhaled.

**000 **

"Roxas!?" Kim repeated herself for the fifth time. She was becoming annoyed. "He-_llo_!?"

When no reply came, she huffed and made her way over to the edge of the waterfall. She leaned over so she could get a good look behind the waterfall but saw nothing. "ROXAS!" Se shouted. She stared at the rocks leading up the side and sighed, thinking about what she'd do to Roxas once she'd found him. Horrible, horrible things.

She began climbing the wall of rocks, not enjoying it one bit. Almost falling a total of three times, she was near the top when she stopped and noticed a hole out of the corner of her eye. She edged closer to the water fall and realized she could walk inside, _right behind the falling water. _

Carefully, she placed her food down inside and clung to the wall until she was standing just barely inside the waterfall. She peaked over the ledge to find Roxas messing around farther back in what looked like a _really _small cave. As she stepped closer to him, he spun around quickly. He looked shocked to see her at first, but then started to laugh. "Isn't this amazing?"

Kim spun in a slow circle, staring at every inch of the cave. "Sure…" She took time to notice how amazing the water looked as it fell right in front of them. You could just barely see outside of it.

She took a step closer to get a better look, and even stick out her hand to feel it. Unfortunately, she got a little too close.

"Hey, what're you—HEY!" It was almost too late.

Being too close to the edge, Kim slipped and nearly fell off the edge. Catching her just in time, Roxas spun her around, both his arms holding her firmly around her back. He held her against himself, frozen when Kim's eyes, wide with shock, locked with his. They both just stood there for what seemed like forever, staring.

Kim would've pushed him away but for some reason couldn't feel her arms. She couldn't feel anything but her cheeks heating up. The way his body felt against hers was… _Intoxicating._ She didn't mind the warmth radiating from his body, ether.

Roxas's chest ached again. He noticed how she wasn't scowling or glaring at him, or anything like that for that matter. He knew if he didn't let go of her soon, she'd probably slap him _(hard_) But even knowing that he couldn't let go. He didn't _want_ to. He couldn't quite figure out why, which was what terrified him the most as her steely, silver eyes seemed to stare right through him. He'd never really realized how amazing they were up until this point.

His heart was beating so hard and fast he swore it'd collapse at any second. He really hoped she couldn't hear it, 'cause he could.

Not even realizing how close their faces were, or how his grip was tightening, he just continued to stare at her. She was the only thing that existed right now. He began forgetting everything else that mattered and even his own common sense, forgetting things like his name and how to breathe.

Suddenly, he heard a noise that sounded like a gasp and snapped out of the trance he was in, both of them immediately turning their attention to Namine, who was frozen in her tracks.

Roxas's stomach dropped. He panicked, trying to think of something to break the most awkward silence he'd ever known. He could've just let Kim go and gotten out of that place as fast as he could, but his common sense had left him a long time ago. He turned his focus to Kim, who looked just as lost as himself. "Y-y'know," He stuttered, "You're heavier than you look."

"**_WHAT_**!?" Kim screamed at him.

_Holy shit! _

He'd done it now.

Kim slapped him across the face so hard that he thought he might die for a second or two. Namine continued to stare. Kim pushed him away huffed, making to hit him a second time but he's already pushed past Namine and left.

There was silence between Namine and Kim for a few minutes before Namine spoke. "What the _hell_ is going on?!"

She wasn't happy at all.

**000**

"Where do you think he went?" Hayner asked as he picked his way through the crowd of fans with Riku.

"I dunno." He said. "But I bet he's just hiding. If I were him, I'd probably do the same thing. Namine's the_ definition_ of pissed right now."

"What exactly happened?" Hayner asked.

Riku shrugged.

Suddenly, without warning, Riku was shoved out of the way by a tall, sick looking, familiar boy from the Travers Town they were facing tomorrow (in the final game). "Hey! Watch it!" He shouted before realizing just who shoved him out of the way.

"_You _watch it." Hissed the tall boy before he disappeared in the crowd.

"Who's that?" Hayner asked when he disappeared.

Riku shook his head. "I really wish I knew…"

**000 **

Roxas locked himself in his hotel room as soon as he got there, leaning against the door as he breathed heavily. He'd ran at least half a mile from the bus stop, taking a different bus back than the others.

He wanted to go prepare for the game with the rest of the game, but the thought of running into Kim – or Namine – after what happened _terrified _him.

Just what had happened back there? If they'd stared at each other one more second he probably would've…

He didn't even want to think about it.

**_I dont mind where you come from  
As long as you come to me  
But I dont like illusions I cant see  
Them clearly _**

Had what happened really happened? Unfortunately, he knew the answer.

He threw himself on his bed and exhaled loudly, staring up at the ceiling in the dark room. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights. The rays blaring through the curtains were all the light he needed.

**_I dont care, no I wouldn't dare  
To fix the twist in you  
You've shown me eventually what you'll do _**

The rollercoaster feeling came to him, and he held his stomach. He almost wanted to turn over and heave.

Nothing was simple, was it?

He began to realize something as he lay there miserably. The realization almost put a stop to his heart.

**_I dont mind  
I dont care  
As long as you're here _**

He found himself wishing Namine had never shown up. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out so disastrous. But then again, maybe things would've been worse. He almost couldn't help himself.

He sat up and leaned over, his elbows on his knees and his head buried in the palms of his hand. He was _seriously_ screwed.

The more he thought about it, the harder the butterflies in his stomach batter their wings. He felt almost panicked.

He dug his fingers through his rough blonde hair and pulled at it a little, hunching his back and groaning miserably.

**_Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again  
You'll just come back running  
Holding your scarred heart in hand  
It's all the same  
And I'll take you for who you are  
If you take me for everything  
And do it all over again  
It's all the same _**

As much as he didn't want to admit it;

He was falling in love with Kim.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope it was long enough. Sorry I made everyone wait so long!

Sorry if it seemed like I rushed throught he whole hike thing, too.

Review!

**_AWARDS_**

Top reviewer: **X- The Random Vampire -X!!!!**

2nd place:**Mikey76500!!!**

3rd place:**Naminecrys4Riku!!**

4rth place:**Pips12!**

**_UPDATE! UPDATE!_**

The fansite's been like, seriously updated. I have this new page on it too - The Another Story soundtrack! It's got all the songs I've used in the chapters so far. I hope you like it.

_**BYE!**_

I promise it'll never take me this long to update again.

Call Me _Insane_ - Cracker-Jacks000


	56. I Hope You Dance

**A/N: **I know, I know, _I know. _I didn't update last week. D; October's been busy for me. Last week I had homecoming so that's why I couldn't find time to write, and I couldn't be on the computer Monday-Thursday (I can now, though). Anyways, finally, updates should be weekly again.

**Disclaimer: **_yea-NO. _

**CHAPTER 56**

Roxas nervously picked his way through the enormous crowd, avoiding Kim as best he could. He_ knew_ she was looking for him.

Not at all excited about this being their last blitz ball game, too many other things being on his mind, he made his way to the locker room, which was under the enormous dome; which was currently being filled with water for the nest game. He'd waited his whole life for this, so why didn't it seem as important as, well, _Kim? _

He knew if he didn't snap out of it soon, they'd probably lose the game. _NOT_ happening. Ever. He kicked his ass training for this.

Of all teams, they were facing traverse town; who wasn't even supposed to be here. They'd kicked their sorry butts, but it didn't stop them from paying to get in. Unfortunately. From the game's he'd watched the short time he was here, they'd practiced too. A lot. So much so that it scared him.

He shook his head and tried to clear his mind, taking deep, relaxing breaths. _Focus, Roxas… _He ordered himself, just a few feet away from the door to the locker room. Once inside, he'd be safe from Kim. At least for a little while.

His heart pounded against his chest as he reached for the door but was cut off by non other than Kim herself, standing in his way and staring at him with those steely, silver eyes of hers. His chest ached again. She was driving him insane.

"Roxas-"

"I can't talk right now." He pushed right past her and into the locker room, walking briskly until he rounded the corner and was completely out of sight. Out of _everyone's _sight.

He collapsed onto a bench, leaning over wit his elbows on his knees and his face buried in the palms of his hands. He knew he'd have to talk to her eventually.

He realized something just then. She didn't seem mad _at all_ when he ran into her. She looked… Honestly, he didn't know. A mix of things, he guessed. Exactly the way she looked the day before when he'd grabbed her, launching them into that little 'moment.'

The roller coaster in his stomach went all over the place when he thought about it.

He got up and walked into the bathroom where, conveniently, no one was present. He stared at himself in the mirror for a long, _long _time. He knew exactly what was going on – everything there was to it. He knew how he felt, what he'd done, how Namine felt about it, and that this entire thing probably wouldn't end well. For him at least.

"I'm in love with Kim," He admitted to himself, then twitched, "with Kim. _Kim._"

He stared at himself longer, and thought about it some more. He thought about how Kim felt for a second. It made him sick to the stomach to think that Kim felt the opposite. Because she probably hated him right now.

The past few months started to unravel right then and there. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he'd liked her _way_ longer than he'd thought. He imagined himself a month or two from now, hating life. Not that he wanted her to feel the same way… Not like he was hoping she felt the same way… He told himself over and over again he _didn't_ want Kim, but he knew he did. Badly.

"I'm in love with Kim." He repeated. He eyed himself, and then glared. What the_ hell_ was he thinking? One, it would never work out. Two, she hated his guts. Three, Namine would kill him, bring him back to life, and then kill him _again._

He was_ seriously_ pissed at himself. As much as it terrified him, the thought of never being in that relationship with Kim made him want to scream. He hadn't realized just how much he liked her. And cared.

"_I'M IN LOVE WITH KIM!!!!_" He shouted at the top of his lungs, screaming at the ceiling. He breathed heavily and wanted more than anything to just escape. Escape from the game. Escape from the island. Escape from life. He hated all these mixed feelings. His brain wasn't made for this!

He'd never wanted anyone so bad in his entire life.

Kicking the wall before he left, he was off to change for the game. The game he'd probably be too worked up thinking about you-know-what to pay attention to. The game they'd most likely lose.

**000**

The crowd cheered as both teams swam into the dome now filled to the top with water. Roxas couldn't focus. He kept scanning the crowd for any sign of what might look like Kim. She'd never gone to any of his games before, but, maybe if he focused hard enough, she'd appear out of nowhere. Like on those stupid TV shows he watched.

"Roxas!" Wakka growled, grabbing his shirt. "What're you doing? _This way_!"

Roxas shook his head. "Right. Sorry…"

Halfway into the game they were losing miserably. 13 to… 30. Yeah. That bad.

"Man, what's wrong with you today!?" Tidus questioned furiously during a break. Half the team had already asked him the same question. "You haven't had the ball _once_. I've passed it to you several times. Where's our best player?!"

"Ungh…" Roxas moaned, rubbing his forehead. "I left him at the hotel. Sorry."

"Not a time for jokes!"

"Jeez, alright. I'm a little stressed, okay?" Roxas shrugged. That was the best he could come up with. _I'm stressed because I've fallen for the absolute most wrong person for me on this entire planet. Better yet, in this entire universe. _

"Well get… Unstressed!" Tidus exclaimed.

"What?"

"Come on," he begged, "we _need_ you. As stupid and cheesy as that sounds. Trust me, it's killing me to say it."

Roxas rolled his eyes and made for the water again. "I'll try."

"You'll _do._"

Another quarter into the game and they were still losing. Not as bad though. Riku'd been saving their butts since the break. Sora wasn't exactly slacking too. Roxas felt guilty for feeling too week to do anything. The current score was 29 to 37.

Roxas made sure to distance himself far enough away from the ball without looking like he was running away. If he spaced again and the ball threw right past him, he'd be in for it. Big time. The coach was already starting to hate him. "Quit slacking, boy!" He'd screamed several times.

Searching the crowd for the 100th time, he'd found their group of friends. Namine, Olette, and Selphie were dancing around like cheerleaders, trying their best to cheer the team on, while the rest of the gang just kind of sat there, looking disappointed. Roxas felt even worse. Selphie had a large sight that she held up and waved around over her head that read "WIN WIN WIN! RAH RAH RAH!"

_**All the small things**_

_****__**True care, truth brings**_

_****__**I'll take one lift**_

_****__****__**Your**__** ride, best trip**_

Roxas listened to the music booming through the speakers as they played and the announcer spoke over the beats in a quite animated fashion.

"Roxas!" Roxas suddenly snapped back to the game when Hayner threw the ball at him. He nearly failed to catch it, and immediately threw it back. Hayner cocked an eyebrow at him before passing it to Riku, who was closer to the goal. Roxas shrugged at him.

Wakka glared at him accusingly.

Sick to his stomach, he paddled up for some air before swimming back into the playing field, or whatever, and continuing to pretend like he was actually playing. He'd probably beat himself up over the loss eventually when the game was over.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted you-know-who waving at him violently. It looked like she'd been trying to catch his attention for a while now. She'd been in the one area he hadn't thought of looking. Figures.

Once she knew she had his attention, She reached down for something under her seat and disappeared for a second. When she game back up, she was holding a large, cardboard sign over her head that clearly read; _You__ better win or I might have to __beat__ you up._

Roxas burst into laughter, laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach. He nearly flipped upside down in the water and the game was set on a short pause just so his coach could see what was wrong with him. They dragged him into the locker room and questioned him.

_**Always, I know**_

_****__****__**You'll**__** be at my show**_

"I-"He laughed harder. "I-I'm fine."

"What's so funny?" Sora cocked an eyebrow. "It looked like you were gonna die for a second."

"You looked like a dead fish." Tidus added ridiculously.

"_What?_" Roxas asked Tidus.

Roxas felt a sudden surge of energy. What the hell was he thinking, worrying about stuff at a time like this? His confidence was near completely restored. All Kim had to do was be there.

A few minutes till the end of the game and they were catching up with incredible speed. Roxas had been storing plenty of his energy slacking, so he was able to give well over 110 percent. The score was 35 to 37.

_Look out world. Here comes Roxas. __Full strength._Roxas thought to himself, laughing when they'd scored another point, thanks to him. One more point and they'd be tied. Exactly 1 minute and 35 seconds on the clock left to go.

_**Say it ain't so, I will not go, **_

_**turn the lights off, carry me home**_

_**Keep your head still, I'll be your thrill**_

_**the night will go on, my little windmill**_

**_000_**

"You kicked butt out there!" Selphie exclaimed.

"But we _tied_," Roxas whined.

"Aren't you playing another game the day after tomorrow? They said that'd be the tie breaker before we left for home on the cruise ship."

"Yeah. I guess." Roxas scratched the back of his head. Somewhere off in the distance, he could see Kim's eyes headed towards him. They weren't that hard to spot. "Uh…" He stalled, not sure if he was actually ready to face her yet. "I gotta go…"

"Um, bye?" Namine cocked an eyebrow at his sudden exit. He was already too far away to hear her.

He dashed out of the large, double doors and headed for the first bus stop. Before he could get too far, though, Kim caught up with him, grabbed his wrist and pulled. "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"The hotel, maybe?" Roxas gave her a look.

"You're going the wrong way."

"I'm taking a different bus."

"Oh, really?" Kim stared at him for a long moment. Before he could reply, she let go of his wrist and folder her arms stubbornly across her chest. "I'm going with you."

Roxas sighed. He really didn't want to talk right now. "_Fine_."

They hadn't said a word to each other since they boarded the bus. The sat in the same seat in the very back, where the light was dim. Roxas leaned against the window, his head still pounding from the end of the game. He'd played so hard that his head was just about killing him. He stared out into the town and glanced inside little shops every now and then, ignoring the depressing silence. If he started talking now, he'd probably bring up the other day, and then, eventually, spill everything. He was just like that. Keeping secrets felt incredibly weird. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

He felt Kim's eyes on him then. He sat there quietly trying to imagine the look on her face.

God, he wished he wasn't such a scardycat.

"H-h-hey," He looked at her a little. Kinda. He didn't move his head too much. It took all the strength left in his body just to talk to her. He was that nervous. She stared at him, waiting. "Ahh…Are you mad at me?"

Kim made a face, and then thought about it for a while before replying. "Why?" She asked, clearly trying to force it out of him.

"Uh… _You know_… "Roxas shrugged, uneasy. He avoided looking at her, thinking about how much longer until they got to the hotel. He was already thinking up an escape plan.

There was no way Kim and himself would ever work out. That made somewhat relieved but terrified at the same time. He wasn't exactly sure what he wanted anymore.

"Know what?" Kim questioned. She didn't budge.

"_Ungh_!" Roxas let out a long, loud sigh and turned to her suddenly, catching her off guard. "Do we have to talk about it?"

"What crawled up your butt and died?" Kim scowled at him.

The bus stopped, and Roxas made a break for it, surprised that Kim didn't make the tiniest effort to catch him. He could tell, from the last second that he saw her face looking over his shoulder, that she was pissed at him.

This whole thing was confusing the hell out of him.

As soon as he got to his room, he called Hayner, his best friend, and a half hour later he was explaining everything to him. Every freaking detail, from Hawaii all the way up to this point. Hayner stared, surprised, the entire 3 hours it took to explain.

"Jesus, Roxas!" Hayner threw his hands up over his face. "No frickin' wonder you're so confused! I'd be puking by now!"

"I was about to." Roxas admitted, sighing and leaning over so his head was resting in his folded arms and they sat against the wall just inside the door next to the hallway.

"I swear, I won't tell Namine. But, I think you should. If you explain everything to her too, I know she'll understand and accept it. It'd be stupid if she didn't." Hayner tried to help.

"But that's the thing- why explain, or admit, anything if nothings going to happen?"

Hayner stared at him quizzically.

"What?" Roxas gave him a stupid look. "Were you just expecting me to march right up to kim and say 'Hi. I'm in love with you'?"

"Uh…" Hayner scratched his head. "Sotra. You're not going to tell her how you feel?"

"No. Are you insane?"

"Whatever." Hayner shrugged. "It's your life. Feel free to screw it up."

"And that means…?"

"Just forget it."

"You know…" Roxas leaned back against the wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I'm going to forget what happened yesterday never happened. Maybe it'll just go away."

"Life doesn't work that way, Roxas." Hayner rolled his eyes, and then got up. Roxas followed him to the door before Hayner turned around to face him. "Just a little friendly advice – don't think so hard. That's probably half of what's driving you insane. You're making it too complicated. If you really, really like Kim, don't hide it. It's your life, don't let other people get in the way, and if Kim doesn't like you back or Namine never talks to you again, life goes on. Live your life your own way." He laughed for a second. "Or you'll end up an old man living alone in a small house with way too many cats."

Roxas didn't say anything. He watched Hayner leave and shut the door. Sitting on his bed, he thought about what he wanted to do over and over again. Talking to Hayner seriously helped. He wasn't so mixed up. There were two things he could do – He could risk Kim rejecting him and Namine hating him forever by not hiding it, or he could play it safe but never be satisfied. Both sounded like the wrong choice. He felt like such a girl, wrapped up in his own little drama. His life was quickly turning into a soap opera.

He stayed up late into the night thinking about it, even when his roommates were back and went to bed. He'd never thought about something so hard before.

Finally, at somewhere around 5 am, he could finally get to sleep. He'd made up his mind.

**000**

_The next day (valentines day); 3 hours before the valentines dance at the hotel_

Namine giggled wildly. "Kairi, you're doing it wrong!"

Kairi growled, irritated with the curler. "It's not my fault that you won't sit still!"

"Sorry." Namine stared at herself in the mirror and Kairi continued to curl the parts of her hair that weren't up. She almost felt like an entirely different person when she looked at herself. "You should be a hair stylist when you graduate next year."

"No thanks," Kairi rolled her eyes, "don't get too comfortable. You're doing my hair next."

"I'd be glad to." Namine smirked.

"_Oooooh_!" Selphie crashed into the bathroom with Olette when Kairi announced she was finished. "You're so pretty! Riku's not the only one who's going to be falling all over you!"

Namine giggled. "Riku says I finally get my surprise today."

Olette, Kairi, and Selphie suddenly froze.

"Oh…" Kairi coughed. "Really?"

Selphie tried her best not to give it away. "C-cool…"

Olette motioned for Selphie to follow her out of the room. "We'll be right back," she told, "We left our dresses in our room."

Kairi nodded at them.

"What?" Namine looked confused.

"Oh… Nothing." Kairi smiled at her. "Now get on with my hair, woman."

**000**

"Got everything ready?" Sora asked Riku, who was trying to figure out where to put his little box.

"Almost." He answered, tucking it away safely in his pocket. It hid itself quite nicely in his form-fitting tux.

Roxas leaned back in his chair, so that it was on it's edge against the wall and his feet were hanging off the floor. "It kinda feels like we're getting ready for homecoming. Only a million times better."

"Ya." Wakka chuckled. All the boys were crammed inside Roxas's room. Kim found somewhere else to get ready for the dance. Roxas was glad she decided to come. But then again, she always loved extravagant things like this.

"Hello!?" Tidus waved a hand in front of Roxas's face. "Daydreaming's for girls, remember? Stay with us on Earth, please."

"Right…" Roxas sighed miserably. He'd thought over his plan too many times to count. He'd slept almost the entire day since he'd been up all night. Thankfully, Kim didn't bother him. She suddenly started ignoring him.

"How much longer till the whole thing starts?" Pence asked, trying to fix his suit.

"An hour?" Tidus guessed.

Sora straightened his tie. "We're meeting the girls at the door, right?"

"The front door?" Tidus asked.

"_NO_. The door to the ball room they have on the 2nd floor, remember?" Hayner rolled his eyes.

"Jeez." Tidus made a face. "Sue me for asking."

"You're such an idiot, Tidus." Roxas snorted.

"Cut it out." Sora commanded.

"He called me a dead fish this morning!"

"This place is so incredibly old fashion," Wakka laughed, "a ball room? Feels like we're in a palace, ya?"

"Hn." Riku grunted. He stared at the clock for a long time, counting down the seconds. It was finally Valentines Day. He couldn't wait to see Namine.

**000**

Riku froze dead in his tracks. He stared at Namine, who was staring right back at him, smiling. He laughed at little, and reached for her hand as she approached him, Olette and Selphie following her. "Whoa. You look amazing."

Namine's hair fell nearly over her shoulders, curled and everything. Little diamond-looking clips were played randomly in her gorgeous blonde hair, and Kairi'd done beyond an excellent job with the makeup. Namine's slim-fitting, floor length dress hid her white heels. Her dress was colored a light blue and sparkled in the near-dim blue-ish light. Her smile was enough on it's own to make any male melt.

"Namine looks like a princess!" Selphie giggled wildly.

"You look great, too." Namine blushed. She wasn't lying. He looked _incredibly_ irresistible. His blue tie matched her dress.

The group all walked inside the enormous ball room.

Walking inside the crowded area, Namine felt like she walking into a fairytale. Everything was perfect. Music and laughter filled the room, and lights hanging from the ceiling twinkled like stars.

The large parquet-floored ballroom glimmered in the subtle light of the crystal chandeliers overhead. Long pink candles burned in the candelabras that reflected against the floor-to-ceiling windows, and tea lights floated in water bowls, illuminating the red balloons and silver streamers stung festively about. A band played onstage on one side of the room, and a table piled high with punch bowls, crystal goblets, and dainty finger foods occupied the other.

Kairi felt like she'd just stepped out of the pages of vogue as Sora lead her to the middle of the room, where men in tuxedoes and women in long, beautiful gowns were dancing. A little while later, Sora and Kairi were still dancing. She looked over Sora's shoulder in the middle of one of the songs to see Olette standing by one of the candelabras, laughing at something Hayner was saying. She smiled. They'd started to get along again.

Kairi gazed over the sea of faces and spotted Namine with her arms around Riku's neck, spinning around the dance floor to the music and gleaming with happiness.

"Hey," Sora stopped and pulled enough away to catch her attention. "I'm kind of thirsty. You?"

Kairi nodded and clung to Sora's arm as they walked over to the punch bowl, Where Tidus Wakka, and Selphie were already in deep conversation. Everyone seemed to be in an amazing mood.

Kairi smiled at Sora when he handed her a cup filled to the top with punch. She took it and they stood there for a while talking until they decided to hit the dance floor again.

**000**

Roxas sat alone in his chair in the corner of the room, staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the east side of the ballroom. He was looking for one person; Kim. He hadn't seen her all day. She'd purposely avoided him since yesterday, so it seemed. She'd already been inside the ballroom before he even showed up, and it was ridiculously difficult to find her in the sea of people. So, he gave up. He took a seat and figured she'd just come to him eventually.

He stared at a few couples talking on the balcony, enjoying the night as it went on. It was well past 10:00 pm by now.

Skimming over the crowd once again, his blue eyes locked with a set of silver ones. Kim had just happened to look up exactly when he did and they both sat there for a long while, staring across the room at leach other. She wasn't that far away; sitting at a table with a few people he couldn't name a few yards away.

The band playing on stage took a short break and a new song played from the speakers set neatly around the enormous room. Just another one of those slow country songs. Roxas hated country, but oddly it didn't bother him so much.

He stood up and pushed his way through the crowd and over where Kim was sitting.

**_I hope you never lose your sense of wonder_**

**_You get your fill to eat_**

**_But always keep that hunger_**

Once he was standing in front of her, he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by one of Kim's new friends.

"Ohhhh…" A short, blonde girl with green eyes cooed. "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"

Kim ignored her and continued to stare up at Roxas, who stared right back down at her. Roxas's heart pounded like it did the day before when they'd been at the waterfall.

He forced his hand to move, and he held it out to her. He kinda half-shrugged and her eyes were still locked on his. She didn't budge.

Her friends giggled and whispered to each other stuff like _"Look at that them stare It's making _**me** _blush!" "How cute!" "Whoever that guy is, he looks amazing!"_

Kim moved her head slightly and stared at his hand, still stretched out towards her. Was he asking her to dance or something. She looked back up at him and e shrugged again.

**_May you never take one single breath for granted_**

**_God forbid love ever leave you empty handed_**

Kim could feel her cheeks heating up quickly. She looked as though she was debating whether to take his hand or not. She'd been just as lost as he was the past 48 hours.

Making up her mind, she ignored her friend's stares and stood.

**_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_**

She grabbed his hand and he led her to exactly the center of the room.

**_I hope you dance_**

**000**

Kim found that she was actually enjoying herself. It made it a little better that she could see Roxas but could only feel the warmth of his arms around her waist. Kim was pleased to find that, as long as she was with dancing with Roxas, she could actually dance in her heels. They didn't say anything the entire half hour they'd been dancing.

Kim suddenly felt sick when she remembered all the drama from the last few days. She'd been able to forget about it, for a while. They'd have to talk eventually. She'd already tried once, but it didn't turn out so great. She'd only gotten mad.

She felt weird then, and being there with Roxas didn't feel so great anymore. She had to get out of there.

"I've gotta go…" She said before pushing away from him and leaving, disappearing into the large crowd without looking at him or saying another word. He stared, dumbfounded for a long, long time, his arms still held out at his sides.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **The dance goes on in the next chapter. Don't worry. :) Lots of fluff planned for the next chapter.

Update next week! Regular updates again! WHOO!

Oh, BTW, thanks to Hailey Abbott for helping with the ballroom design.

**_No Awards This Time_**

**_Where the hell was I last week?_**

Homecoming.

**_Bye!_**

see ya next week!

Shake Your BlueBerry Muffins -Cracker-Jacks000


	57. Confessions And Proposals

**A/N: **Sorry about the late update!

I hope you all like this one. I had LOTS of fun writing it. (coughwinkcough) Yay fluff!!

Enjoy the chapter… Heehee… I enjoyed writing it.

-excited-

**Disclaimer: **_How many times have we gone over this?_

P.S. New characters coming up _**really**_ soon.

Be afraid.

Be _very_ afraid.

**CHAPTER 57**

Too embarrassed to search Kim, Roxas took a seat next to Wakka on the South side of the ball room. They talked and watched other couples walk by laughing, people at the punch bowl talking, and more couples spinning around on the dance floor.

"I'm really bored." Wakka yawned. It was near 11 pm. "_And_ tired, ya?"

"Why do you do that?" Roxas questioned the red-head sitting next to him.

"Do what, ya?" Wakka cocked an eyebrow at him.

"_That_!" Roxas pointed. "You add 'ya' to the end of, like, _every other sentence_!"

Wakka just stared at him for a second, confused until he though about it. He threw back his head and laughed out loud. "_Wow_. I didn't notice."

Roxas rolled his eyes. Honestly, he was in a bad mood. He still couldn't get an hour previous off his mind. Had that _really_ happened?

"Yo, Roxas!" Wakka waved a hand in front of Roxas's face. "You in there?"

"Sorry…" Roxas shook his head. His head seemed to get lodged into space a lot lately.

**000**

Olette laughed, leaning against the wall behind her back for a little bit of balance. She'd been talking with Hayner for, like, an hour straight now and couldn't stop smiling. This was the Hayner she missed.

"Yeah yeah!" Hayner continued. "And after that that Cid was like '_GODAMMIT_ ROXAS!'"

Olette giggled. "He's always getting himself into trouble, isn't he?"

"_Oh yeah…_ Every day…"

Olette smiled at him. It'd been a while since she had more than a 3 minute conversation with her boyfriend.

"So…." Hayner laughed nervously. "Sorry I didn't ask earlier, but… Uh…"

"I'd love to dance with you, Hayner." Olette laughed and Hayner blushed.

They danced most of what was left of the night.

**000**

"This is getting old…" Roxas mumbled to himself. His temper was getting the best of him. He'd gone from being out-of-his-mad-mind depressed to PO'd. Yeah. Guys tended to do that. Like hell he'd let other people know what was going on inside his mind.

Being the impatient person Roxas was, he couldn't stand waiting anymore. Kim, obviously by now, wasn't going to show up any time soon. But whatever. They usually chose the hard way anyways. Nothing was ever simple. _Ever._

"Where ya goin'?" Wakka questioned when Roxas stood and began walking away.

"I'll be back later." Roxas said before disappearing into the sea of faces. Wakka cocked an eyebrow, and then shrugged it off. It wasn't his business, anyways.

**000**

"Sorry," Roxas pushed past several couples. He knew exactly where Kim was. "Excuse me…"

"_Watch it_!" Some guy from behind him screamed. Roxas ignored the warning. Didn't care. Hardly took the time to even listen.

Spotting Kim sitting in the darkest corner of the room with a few other people, just where he knew he'd find her, he called her name and dashed to her side. As soon as Kim made eye contact with him, her silver eyes accusing, his chest ached again.

Every feature on Kim's face besides her eyes seemed emotionless. "Yes?" She asked, her friends quieting down to stare. A few of them even giggled at the expression on Roxas's face.

"I need to talk to you." Simple as that. He didn't feel like explaining right then and there.

"What's there to talk about?"

"…" Roxas sighed and scowled at the same time. He wasn't going to put up with this. "About yesterday! And the day before that! And before that! And…When we were dancing. _Everything_!" Kim's friends stared wide eyed for a moment or two in silence.

"Roxas, it's-"Kim was cut off.

"I _know_!" Roxas yelled. It was completely silent again for a second. He groaned. "_Please_?"

Kim looked down. Her sigh was long and drawn out. "Fine."

A few minutes later and they were standing out on the balcony, where a few other couples were enjoying the dance and walking around below; in the garden. Few couples surrounded them on the balcony itself; most had seen the look on both Kim and Roxas's face and made an immediate exit. The two stood next to the rail and immediately began arguing. They were going at it so face, interrupting each other every chance they had, than both of them never really got to finish any of their sentences before the other started screaming. You could almost see lighting flashing back and fourth between them as they stared furiously at each other, livid beyond measure.

"Oh, shut-up, Roxas!" Kim hissed. They'd been going at it for at least twenty minutes by now. It was the longest argument they'd been in since they got on the cruse ship to the Island they were on right now.

"No!" Roxas hissed right back. His face was getting red with rage. He just _had _to fall for Kim! Un-freaking-believable. "You've _got_ to be the bitchy-est person I've ever met!" He meant it. With a burning passion.

"Sticks and stones." Kim huffed. She folded her arms and glared at him, hate written on every inch of her body.

"Ungh…" Roxas wrinkled his forehead. He hadn't been so mad in a long,_ long_ time. Not even their argument on the plane - when she'd insulted everything about him – came close to this. Here he was – about to confess his unconditional love for her and she just… He didn't even want to think about it!

"I'm going inside…" Kim began marching off for the door. For some reason, she didn't feel like physically harming Roxas. She was too mad to even look at him. And, as her mother taught her, when the sight of someone makes you sick to your stomach, just walk away.

Roxas grabbed her wrist and spun her back around. "Wait!" He scowled.

"You've hardly let me say _anything_!" Of course, he'd hardly let her say anything as well. But he wasn't about to give up. He'd already made up his mind. No matter how angry he was, no matter how many times he'd tried to convince himself that he was ill in the head, his feelings refused to change.

"Oh, please. What's there to say? '_You hate me. I'm a Bitch.'_ I get the point, okay?" Kim gave him a look of irritation. Roxas could almost see a hint of pain in her eyes when he'd looked close enough. She suddenly refused to look at him, turning her head towards the railing to stare at the wood.

"I…" Roxas paused. He let go of her wrist and she faced him, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest again. "I don't hate you…"

Kim gave him a dis-believing expression, and then thought about it for a second. She almost looked calm for a moment, but her anger came back at full force almost instantly. "Please excuse me while I find a container for my joy." Her eyes shot daggers at him.

"I'm just trying to get things straight, okay?"

"Get what straight?" Kim looked like him as though he were the dumbest human being she'd ever seen. "Namine'd showed up at the wrong moment. That's it. Nothing to talk about."

"Sue me for being confused." Roxas rolled his eyes. "It's not about that. You're missing everything I'm trying to say." So that's all she thought of it? Fear stabbed his chest. It was obvious by now that she was 99 percent likely not to return his affections. "What about just a few hours ago? Can you explain _that_?"

"I, uh…" Kim shook her head. "It doesn't matter, okay? Just leave me alone!"

To be honest, Kim was just as confused as Roxas was. Unlike him, though, 'it' didn't hit her yet. She was so mixed up that she didn't know what to think anymore. How Roxas felt didn't even occur to her.

"It doesn't matter?!" Roxas's voice filled with a new level of rage, mixed with a little bit of hurt. Roxas couldn't explain why every word that came out of her mouth was beginning to sting. Badly. Like nothing he'd ever felt before.

"You're such an idiot!" Kim shrieked.

"How many times are you going to call me that in one night!?" Hurt took over more of his voice now. Still hardly noticeable, but Kim wasn't stupid. Kim would be retarded if she didn't know that she was getting to him.

"Please," Kim stared him down. Her eyes locked with his with incredible force. She rubbed her head in annoyance. "Explain to me why you're so confused. You're giving me a migraine just trying to figure you out on my own."

Roxas stuttered. "I just-"

It was obvious Kim had no idea about the war going on inside Roxas's head. What he'd been through the last 48 hours. "Make it quick. You're quickly ruining my night."

"I can't stop thinking about you."

Kim paused. She just stared at him quizzically, unable to think of what to say to that.

"You're not getting what I've been trying to tell you this entire time." Roxas scowled. They'd been yelling at each other at such loud levels for that entire half hour they'd been outside that every couple outside had their full attention set on the argument. The two had been too caught up in the fight to even notice.

Or care.

"Not getting _what_?" Kim cocked an eyebrow, clearly bemused.

"Do I need to draw it out for you?"

"Make my day!" Kim grinded her teeth together and clenched her fists. Nobody had gotten on her nerves like Roxas had before. She'd met her match.

"I-…" Roxas stalled. This was it. "I'm lah-" No turning back now.

"What?" Kim asked. "I can't understand you."

They were standing dangerously close, their faces about half-a-foot apart. They hadn't noticed the closeness.

"Would you just listen for a second!?" Roxas screamed. Of all the impatient little… She could give him at least a minute or two!

"Yell a little louder," Kim growled at him, "So the whole freaking _WORLD _can hear!"

"_**I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" **_

It happened so fast Roxas almost doubted that the words even escaped his mouth. He wished that they hadn't, suddenly. Complete silence was all there was now, except for the echoing of his voice in the distance. He'd been so loud that even people inside were staring at them now.

Kim stood there frozen. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Her limbs went completely numb. Her heart stopped, and her throat was all clogged up. All she did was listen to the echo. (_I'm in love with you… in love with you… with you… you… you…)_

As everything began to come back to her, Roxas's words smacked her in the head so hard she almost fell over. She watched Roxas as his features softened, and he stared right back at her. Everything else faded away, and the whole universe was Roxas for that moment. She watched in disbelief as he inched closer to her.

She couldn't breathe.

She didn't care.

She didn't even notice the lack of oxygen.

Her mind was centered on one thing and one thing only.

"You're…" The words came without warning. "In love with me?"

Everything stared to make sense. Perfect sense. She wished she wasn't so dense, then.

_I'm so blind… _

She didn't realize she'd said that out loud.

Roxas's arms were acting as though they had minds of their own. Without even thinking about it, he reached out for the side of her face. The palms of his hands cupped her cheeks perfectly. His face was so close to hers now that he could smell the sweet sent of her breath. He didn't realize how close they were until his forehead was leaning against hers. Until their noses were touching. Kim stood there, paralyzed, just waiting. Her heart thrummed against her chest, so loud she could hear it herself. Saying that this was one of the single most intense moments of her life would be a_ serious_ understatement. Her eyes fluttered half shut.

And the moment finally came when Roxas couldn't stand it any more. The little space between them was too much.

He tilted her head slowly under his fingertips, cautious. Almost scared. Luckily, he was 100 percent out of his mind right now. Common sense had left him a long time ago.

His lips brushed just lightly against Kim's for a seemingly endless moment before he tilted his head further against hers. Who Kim was just a few minutes ago would have freaked out and pushed away, but now she suddenly could care less. She realized then that this… _This _was what she wanted the entire time. Nothing could compare to the feeling of a million little butterflies flapping their wings around violently in her stomach. It was thrilling. Intense. She shut her eyes fully and got lost for second before Roxas abruptly pulled away, quickly removing his hands from her face but not backing up an inch. Again, he wasn't in his right mind at the moment. His body was acting on his heart's behalf.

"_Wow_…" He breathed. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her quizzical gaze. "I am _so_ sorry."

"Don't be."

Roxas did a double-take. He looked at her suddenly, taken back. He stared at her in amazement for the short two seconds before her arms seemed to automatically find their way around his neck and the space between their faces was closed up again. Grinning against her lips, he tilted his face to fit perfectly against hers. This was everything he needed. The way her soft lips pressed against his was _absolutely_ intoxicating.

Completely, and totally, intoxicating. And wonderful. Marvelous. Every other good word in his vocabulary.

Kim thought about how stubborn she'd been. How stubborn they'd_ both_ been. All the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly now.

Kim looked up at Roxas, who stared back at her, stunned. He suddenly started to laugh quietly, dumbfounded. Roxas leaned his forehead against hers and continued laughing at himself. "_Whoaaaa_."

Kim smiled, laughing along with him through her teeth. It was actually pretty funny. The drama could've been so easily avoided. Staring up into Roxas's hazy blue eyes, Kim found herself happily, and surprisingly, head-over-heels. And it didn't feel weird at all.

"You've got some detailed explaining to do," she snickered. She wanted to know _everything._

"Let's take a walk." He suggested. It sounded more like a command.

**000**

"Have you seen Riku anywhere?" Namine asked as Olette approached her. Most people were already headed back to their rooms; the dance was nearly over.

"No, Sorry…" Olette smiled at her. "When did you see him last?"

"Like, _3 hours ago_." Namine frowned. "He said he forgot something, left, and never came back."

"Did you check in your room?"

"He's not there. Or outside. I can't find him anywhere." Namine sighed. Hayner waved goodbye to Olette, hesitated to kiss her on the cheek before he left, and left the two girls alone.

"That's weird." Olette thought about it for a second. Wasn't this 'the big day'? It didn't make sense that he'd run away. "I'm sure he'll show up."

"Pfft." Namine folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"Oh! Namine!" Sora waved, and ran up to them. "I've been looking for you. Riku left to town to go get something. I tried to tell you earlier but I couldn't find you."

"See?" Olette grinned.

"And what's so important that he has to run all the way into town for?" Namine questioned.

"Well, uh…" Sora stalled. "I guess… You'll see?"

Namine cocked an eyebrow. Olette grabbed her arm and lead her out of the ball room, Sora following behind. "Come on." Olette said. "Let's go watch a movie or something until Riku's back. I bought a new one just this morning."

"_Okay_." Namine sighed. "I give."

"I'll see you guys later," Sora waved goodbye, "see ya."

"Girls." Olette corrected.

"Whatever."

**000**

Kairi yawned. It was really late, and she wasn't used to staying up anything past eleven o'clock. Not usually.

She leaned back; her dressed poofed out in front of her. The pink fabric made her giggle. She'd always wanted a better reason than homecoming to spend an excessive amount of money on a pink, stand-out dress. She usually liked more… Casual looking clothes. And clothes that were comfortable. This was anything but. It squeezed her upper body firmly, so much so she found it difficult to take deep breathes.

Sighing, she wiggled out of her dress and put on a cozy pair of pajamas; cotton shorts and T-shirt. After changing, she un-did her hair and began dabbing away at her makeup with a wet washcloth. She left the bathroom door open. Not like anyone was there to watch her.

Riku was still missing somewhere off in town. She'd actually begin to worry about him herself. Not that she felt the little Island was a dangerous place, but still. Namine was In Selphie's room. Selphie had suddenly needed major advice on the ways of boys. Tidus had been acting incredibly weird to her lately – so much so that she questioned his sanity. He was usually full of himself and too busy with sports to want to pay any attention to his girlfriend, but suddenly he was more than willing to drop everything to spend time with her. Selphie, not having nearly as much experience as, say, Sora and herself or Riku and Namine, was like a lost child on her very first day on the 1st grade, instead of a junior in High School.

Sora – Only God knows where he was. He'd gone off to warn Namine about Riku's whereabouts and probably forgot to come back, or got distracted. Something like that.

Kairi set the now-stained washcloth down on the spotless counter and took a step back to really look at herself. Her makeup-less, plain face didn't make her so happy with herself. She suddenly thought about falling asleep still wearing mascara and eyeliner.

Just then, the door creaked open and Sora walked into the room quietly. He closed the door slowly behind himself.

Kairi leaned over, poking her head out of the bathroom door to look at him. She raised her eyebrows at his cautiousness. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh." Sora stopped. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged, clearly embarrassed. "I thought you were sleeping or something."

"With the light on?" Kairi tried not to laugh at him.

Sora shrugged again.

"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "I sleep with my light on all the time."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha, go ahead and laugh at me all you want." He clearly didn't mean it.

Kairi stepped out of the bathroom and stopped in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck as if she did that every day and it was only natural. "I'm sorry." She apologized. Sora's face went so red it almost wasn't funny. Still, he was more than happy to return her embrace.

"That's… Okay." He swallowed, not sure of exactly what he wanted to say to the gorgeous girl in his arms.

Kairi buried her head in his neck, smiling against his warm skin. Sora held onto her tighter.

"Already getting ready for bed?" Sora chuckled. He always took time to notice when she wasn't totally dressed up or wearing make-up. Truthfully, he liked it better when Kairi didn't put all of that un-necessary crap on her face. There was this beauty it always covered up.

Kairi blushed deeply, suddenly stiff. She tried to make herself sound like she didn't mind at all that Sora noticed. "Sora, it's 1 am."

"Right, right." Sora smiled, running his fingers through her red hair and grabbing a handful of it. The way the locks felt in-between his fingers was strangely addicting…

"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling away a few inches and trying to hide the expression on her face by looking down; so her hair covered a good amount of it. "I probably look like a hobo or something."

Sora stared at her, shocked by her assumption. She was FAR from looking like anything of the sort. "Uh, _No_." When she looked up at him he smiled warmly, caressing her cheek softly with the tips of his fingers. "The natural look suits you."

"Oh really?" Kairi gave his a look. She pulled away completely and placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know if I should believe you."

"You don't look like a homeless person, Kairi."

Kairi ruffled her hair and made a ridiculous face. "How about now?"

Sora ignored her. Instead of commenting on how non-sensible she was being, he scooped her up and kissed her forehead, suddenly feeling gallant. Kairi kissed his Adams apple and giggled.

"You're incredible."

"Pfft."

**000**

Roxas hesitated to grab Kim's hand as they walked through the garden below the balcony. The dance was almost completely over by now. The music was fading, people were leaving, but still laughing. For the most part, they had the entire outside to themselves. The lights strung around the trees and than lines the pathway and fountain glowed brilliantly as the lights inside were beginning to dim.

Roxas told her everything she wanted to know – every last detail. In turn, she told him what she was thinking. They laughed at their own stubbornness.

"I can't believe how blind I am." Kim shook her head. She'd been the most stubborn. That was the way she though, and Roxas loved it. Everything about her radiated to him. Several times, when Kim wasn't looking, he'd look up at the dark sky, a pathetic expression on his face as he mouthed the words '_THANK YOU'_, feeling lucky.

They sat on the ledge of the fountain, their hands still intertwined as they dove deeper into conversation. There was so much to talk about – to catch up on. Roxas felt fortunate than they'd both used up all their rage already and all emotion that was left was the good stuff. He knew that this wasn't the end to their fighting – but this was good enough for him.

"You're not blind…" Roxas laughed at her. "Although I've always wondered about those silver eyes…"

"We've already had this discussion." Kim remembered the time when they were running and Roxas questioned her eye sight, commenting on her eyes.

"I know." He laughed harder. "I still don't get it, though."

"I don't expect you to." Kim grinned wickedly. The insult was meant to be playful, of course.

"Hey!"

Kim leaned against his side and sighed peacefully, closing her eyes and taking in the smell of his skin. Irresistible. It almost drove her insane that she hadn't noticed before. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his head atop hers, staring ahead of them as Kim relaxed, burying her head into his neck. There was no other place he wanted to be now, though he knew security would chase them out of the ballroom area and to their rooms sooner or later…

**000**

"So this is it…" Roxas mumbled nervously.

"I think I'm gonna barf." Tidus swallowed, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head back and fourth.

"Would you calm down?!" Wakka scowled. He'd been listening to them complain like this now for, what, 2 hours? "The game isn't till tonight."

Roxas scratched his head. Last time, before they tied, it didn't really feel like they were about to play the last game. Now, he felt so anxious he thought about joining Tidus in the barfing. And knowing Kim would be watching only made it that much worse… He suddenly felt like impressing her was the most important thing. And he knew Traverse Town wasn't going down without a fight. All day so far they'd constantly stopped by the hotel just to glare, and then disappear again into the busy streets.

Leaning over and waving a hand in front of his face, Kim snapped him back to earth. "I was worried for a second," she laughed at him, "you had this crazy look in your eye. And then you twitched."

Roxas shot her an irritated stare. She only laughed harder.

Namine let out a long, drawn out sigh, leaning her head against the back of her seat and staring up at the ceiling. "I think Riku died, or something." She sulked. Of course she didn't mean it; Riku could take care of himself. Still, she felt antsy. He still hadn't shown up since last night, which pretty much ruined her mood. She stayed up most of last night waiting for Riku, and after only getting 3 hours of sleep she was up again early to wait for him some more.

Everyone who'd come on the trip was crammed into the smaller lounge. Riku was the only person (besides the coach – who purposely wasn't included) missing. She'd really started to worry. She was livid all at the same time. What the _hell_ had gotten into him?

They'd all gathered in the room for a little meeting a few hours before the game. They were all early, seeing as they were all too nervous to think about anything else. Blitz Ball team especially. The meeting was originally just to get the team all fired up, but they'd spend the 2 hours complaining instead of trying to get excited.

"Oh, please," Hayner sighed deeply, "let us not lose miserably." He then glared at Roxas, who shrugged.

"You have _nothing_ to worry about," Roxas assured, trying to sound as confident as possible, "I'm totally alert. Ready to go."

"Dead fish," Tidus reminded. Roxas growled.

The minutes flew by after that, and then in hours. For Namine, it seemed like an eternity. She'd be waiting forever. This was beginning to be unbearable.

Kairi tried to calm her friend as she started to make up a million different theories at once on what might've happened to her beloved Riku. She was getting to the point of hyperventilating when the door suddenly swung open, startling everyone in the room. Sure enough, there was Riku; looking quite tired.

"Here…" He huffed, taking long, deep breaths. "You all… are…" He seemed relieved, besides his lack of oxygen. His eyes automatically found Namine's and locked. She started at him, anger bubbling up inside her chest. Kairi backed away.

_"RIKU!!" _She roared, her feed now steady on the ground. Her friends began to stumble past Riku and out of the room.

"Uh, _yeah,_" Pence laughed nervously, "I think we'll leave you two alone now…"

Namine hadn't even realized Pence had said a word, although Riku was well aware of everything going on around him. The door closed and they were alone now, not knowing that on the other side of the door everyone was listening. Even Kim was curious as to what was going on.

"You little…," Namine's voice cracked once. She couldn't decide whether to scream or cry. "What the hell is wrong with you!" She swallowed, trying to contain herself. She took deep breaths.

"I-"Riku paused, unsure of how to explain himself. Namine waited. "I'm sorry?"

"_SORRY!?"_ Namine shrieked. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I know, _I know_…" Riku tried to calm her. The room fell silent as he slowly made his way over to her, and stopped with just a foot or two in-between them. He was sure to keep a good enough distance.

"Explain." Namine commanded, folding her arms. She glared at him harshly.

"I can't explain right this second…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "It'll kind of give something away…"

"Give what away?" Namine was suddenly curious.

"I can't tell you yet."

"Why?"

"I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Is it bad?"

"Depends."

"What do you mean?"

There was a long pause. Namine felt scared suddenly. Riku lead her to one of the couched and they sat down next to each other. Namine stared down at her feet for a while, while Riku stared at her, trying to think of the right thing to say.

"Namine?" He swallowed.

She didn't look at him. "What?" She knew he wasn't breaking up with her – he couldn't be. Not now. Not ever. Not after what they've been through.

"Do…" Riku sighed. He leaned towards her and set the palm of his hand lightly on her cheek, moving her head so she was looking at him. He stared deeply into her eyes. "Do you love me?"

Namine's heart stopped. What kind of a question was that?! "Of course! More than anything."

"Do you realize how important to me you are?" Riku stared at her, even more intense. He was caressing her cheek with the tips of his fingers now, reaching for her other hand and holding it in his.

Namine thought about it for a second. She answered honesty. "Well… I'm not you, so I wouldn't know. But I do know how much _you_ mean to _me_." She smiled warmly at him. She was begging to like where this was going, relaxing at now knowing that their discussion wouldn't lead anywhere that would put her into a deep depression. "And that's a lot."

Riku smiled back at her, and then let go. He stood up, only to sit on the coffee table across from her. They stared at each other for a long moment.

"So what's the deal?" Namine smirked. Riku laughed.

"Just checkin'." Riku winked. Namine didn't believe that that was all.

"I'm not buying that." She admitted.

"That's too bad." Riku laughed.

Namine then remembered what Riku'd just put her through – hours and hours of waiting in agony. The least he could do was tell her, secret or no secret. "So what was with you and being in town night and day?"

"I already told you!" He shook his head at her, trying not to laugh more. "You'll just have to wait, Namine."

Namine sighed. "Nothing's going to be easy with you today, huh?"

"I'm not giving in this time."

"Just do me a favor," Namine insisted, "and _never_ run off like that again."

"Marry me, first."

Namine stared at him. _What?_ "I wasn't joking. Can you _please_ be serious?"

"But I am."

"No you're not."

Riku shook his head and stood, rummaging through his pocket for the little black box. He felt it against his fingers and grinned. "Yes. _I am_." He was firm. Taking one last deep, _deep_ breath, he stood in front of her as she just stared.

He opened the box himself and took the ring out, throwing the box to the side. It was un-needed. He leaned over only to kiss Namine on the forehead softly, and linger there for a second before he kneeled down on one knee, his face still close enough to hers to where he could almost lean his forehead against hers.

Namine forgot how to breathe.

Riku made an attempt to scoot closer to her. It was harder to force the words out than he thought. He kissed her lips gentle; finally close enough to do so. Then he kissed her again. And again. The sound of their lips separating make him confident. He brushed his cheek against hers, leaning in more towards her ear now. As on hand held onto the ring, his other was on top of Namine's hand, against the soft fabric of the couch. He lightly kissed along the edge of Namine's ear.

In a hushed, almost pleading voice, he whispered; "Marry me?"

**000**

Roxas's grin grew twice in size. The whole group waiting outside the door could hardly contain themselves. Kim just stared.

"This is it…" Kairi whispered, giggling.

"Say yes, Namine!" Selphie squealed quietly. "Yes!"

Sora was full of excitement for his best friend. It was killing him, waiting for Namine to answer, even though it didn't take her that long at all.

**000**

_"Marry me?"_

Namine chocked on a sob. So _that_ was it, huh? She quickly threw her arms around Riku's neck, nearly chocking his to death, and kissed him over and over again violently fast. "Yes…" Namine managed to say though her whimpering. "A thousand times, yes…!!!"

And the ring was already on her finger.

"Mind waiting a couple years for the wedding, though?" Riku snickered, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He welcomed her showering of affection on him.

"I can't believe you were actually serious!" Namine whispered, now kissing his Adams apple, grabbing a handful of his air and nuzzling him. Riku kissed her forehead in turn, chuckling against her skin. A rage of emotion washed through him. He'd never been so in love with the girl in his arms. He didn't think it was possible to want to be with her more.

Riku lifted her chin up and kissed her again, with more of a thrill taking over him. His touch became more passionate as his lips moved against hers and she leaned back into the couch, letting him take over. She simply tightened her grasp around his neck, holding on like there was no tomorrow. She was going to enjoy this…

Suddenly, then the door broke open and here came the entire Blitz Ball team, charging to tackle Riku all at once. Riku and Namine quickly broke apart.

This was Sora's (most likely) only chance to give Riku the noogie of his life. He had a reason to now – nothing would stop him. The girls flocked around Namine to gawk at her ring; a silver band with a gorgeous, aquamarine colored diamond in the middle that matched Riku's brilliant eyes. What seemed like a million other little white diamonds surrounded it was went down the band, making the ring sparkle like nothing they'd ever seen before.

"How pretty!" Selphie squeaked.

"Now _that's_ the understatement of the year!" Kairi laughed wildly.

Olette studied the ring close. "Holy crap…" Was all she could say, breathless.

"Okay, okay, _okay_!" Riku begged, laughing with such excitement that it Made Namine melt. His glorious smile was the only thing that would be on her mind for hours. "Get 'offa me!"

Namine stared as all of Riku's closest friends were still messing with him. "Not so fast!" Roxas laughed.

Riku gave her a sympathetic look. It looked like they wouldn't get much more alone time before the next game… But Namine smiled. Later, they'd have all night and then all day, and the day after that, and the day after that… So on and so fourth. Thinking about it made her feel like flying.

**000**

_Back in Destiny Islands…_

"Happy valentines day!" Yuffie glomped Leon, who groaned miserably.

"Get off of me!" He wailed. He reached to throw Yuffie's little valentine away.

"Hey!" She shrieked. "You haven't even read it yet!"

"So?" Leon glared.

Meanwhile, Aerith and Cloud were enjoying themselves. The four of them had decided to eat dinner at olive garden to celebrate Valentines Day; which was Aerith's favorite holiday. Every time Leon and Yuffie looked away, Could lean over and give her a quick kiss.

Could laughed at Yuffie and Leon fighting. Grabbing a bread stick, he shoved half of it into his mouth. "Dinner and a show!"

Aerith giggled.

**+TO BE CONTINUED!+**

**A/N: **Okay, I'm late. I got in big trouble and couldn't get to a computer for a while; sorry. Until the holidays pass, I won't be able to promise to update weekly. But I do promise that none of my updates from here to January (end of the busy holiday stuff) will be more that two weeks of a wait. Yay!

OH! Don't forget to read _**Summer Boys**_; another Riku/Namine fic by me. The chapters come slower, but the serious will be ten chapters at most (3 are done now).

Happy late Halloween!

_**AWARDS**_

1st place: **SaysHello3!!!!**

2nd place:**X-The Random Vampire -X!!!**

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!!**

4th place:**Senshin Ultima (sp?)!**

_**Questions Answered… Wait till next chapter, **__**Please**___

_**BYE!**_

I hope you enjoy the weekend!

**BTW**

My life has revolved around a book the past week… For anyone who hasn't read it, _**Twilight**_ is a MUST….

Oh, and there's this comic my friend is drawing for me off the first draft where Roxas and Kim get together. I'll post it for everyone to see as soon as she's finished :)

-Insert Lame Comment Here- Cracker-Jacks000


	58. Count The Stars

**A/N: **Just wait until after the holidays—updates should be normal by them. : ) promise.

Enjoy!

Happy late Thanksgiving!

**Disclaimer: **_I wish. _

**CHAPTER 58**

_dun__dun__dun_

"AH HAH!" Roxas shot his fists into the air… A'hem, water. He spun in a circle and swam up to one of the Traverse Town players. "Take _that_!"

The player growled, clenching his fists.

"Yeah," Roxas nodded, winking, "you wish you were me."

They were halfway into the game, beating Traverse Town by 15 points. Mostly thanks to Riku, this time, though. I'm sure you could imagine why.

"Don't take all the credit!" Tidus rolled his eyes.

The game took a shot break and Riku immediately went for air. Holding your breath for long periods of time wasn't that easy. Especially if you'd played as hard as Riku had. 'Exhausted' wasn't near enough to the right word.

Wakka gave him a high five. "Nice work, ya?"

"It's not…" Riku huffed, cocking for more air, "Over yet…"

"Don't kill yourself."

"I'll try not to."

The game began again, and Riku played just as hard. It was usual that Roxas wasn't able to keep up with him; being the 'star' of the team and all.

"You're takin' my shine!" Roxas laughed.

With about ten minutes left on the clock, the score was 52 to 35.

The Travers Town team wasn't very happy about it; they shook their fists and glared whenever Destiny Islands scored a point (they did a lot of glaring). They even started to threaten Destiny Islands team, and one player even tried to pay a few of them to purposely do nothing. They got nowhere.

The final bell went off and the crowd roared, standing up and cheering life there was no tomorrow. They'd one – by a landslide. Traverse Town immediately went to hide – wallowing in their defeat. Namine seemed pretty happy about it.

"Hey!" she waved running up to Riku as soon as she was given the chance. She threw her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. "Talk about obsessed. You were like –"

"Some possessed animal." Roxas laughed. "You killed!"

Namine pulled away and Roxas gave Riku a high five. "That's one for the books."

"Definitely."

Roxas left to go jump and scream with the rest of the team (which included the coach) before they would be announced, formally, as the winners.

"Uh, hey…" Namine started, suddenly uneasy. She left Riku grab her hand and lace his fingers through hers before she continued, starting to walk in the direction of the crowd. "There's something… Uh… I want you to meet someone."

"Yeah, Okay…" Riku sighed, relieved. Not that he was worried… "Who is it-"

Before Riku could finish, a tall, sick-ish looking boy who towered over them at 6, 4" came from inside the crowd and stopped them in their tracks. The boy glared fiercely at Riku, and Namine sighed, shaking her head at him. The boy ignored her.

"Oh, it's you…" Riku snarled. This kid hadn't exactly… made a very good impression on him. "C'mon, Namine. Where's that person you wanted me to meet?"

"He's standing in front of you."

Riku swallowed. Hard. Not caring at all about how rude he was being, he pointed. "_That _thing?"

The boy growled.

Namine took a deep, drawn out sigh. "Yeah." She stalled for a moment.

Riku waited, looking from her to the tall boy and back to Namine again quizzically.

"That '_thing__'_," she began, staring up at the sick looking boy and sighing again, "is my brother."

"THE AWARDS WILL BE GIVEN IN 5 MINUTES. TO YOUR SEATS." The speakers boomed.

Riku continued to stare, frozen. "You're brother?"

Namine nodded.

"Wow…" He gave the tall boy a disgusted look. "There's no resemblance, for sure…"

The boy huffed. "Watch your mouth," he warned.

"Riku," Namine let go of his hand and stepped aside, but the boys were to busy glaring at each other to notice, "Meet Blake."

Trying to make Namine happy, Riku shoved his hate aside for two seconds and held out his hand to shake Blake's, "I'm Riku…" He mumbled, purposely forgetting the 'nice to meet you' part.

"I know."

Riku raised his eyebrows at Namine, questioning. She smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

"1MINUTE."

Namine sighed, gave Riku a quick peck on the cheek, and waved goodbye for the time being. He seemed unsure, a little nervous. He ran the back of his hand along Namine's cheek before heading off to meet with his team, running backwards, waving. Namine knew she'd have to explain a little more later.

Blake sat down next to her in the first row, leaning back into his chair and throwing his long legs up over the railing lazily. "Fiancé, eh?" He mumbled. "I'm _never_ going to call that guy my brother. I don't care what you say."

Namine smacked him. "You'd better be nice to him!"

"Or what?" He smirked.

"Or I'll…" Namine paused.

Blake laughed sickeningly. "That's what I thought."

"I swear," Namine hissed, "I'll shove your foot right up that stubborn ass of yours!"

"Oh," Blake waved his hands around sarcastically, "I'd better watch out! Little sis is coming to get me!"

Namine ignored him and folded her arms, leaning back into the seat. Anyone could understand why Blake was kicked out of James's house long, _long_ ago. Blake was about a year older than Namine was, and was only her half brother.

"Do me a favor and try to behave yourself." Namine scowled.

"I'm not promising anything." Blake shook his head, still laughing. Or trying to.

**000**

The trophy was so big it took 5 people to carry it to the truck that would take it back to the hotel. Pounds upon pounds of flowers and ribbons were shipped back to the hotel too.

When the winners were being announced, watching thousands upon thousands of people cheer for them, even Riku forgot about the bad stuff. To hear their names being shouted; it was intoxicating. Roxas, for lack of a better word, felt like a rock star. It only helped his mood that Kim was as enthusiastic. One rarely saw her act with so much emotion. He felt lucky.

As soon as everyone got back to the hotel, they got ready to leave again and grabbed their things before heading off towards the empty, reserved house by the beach on the other side of the Island. The hotel gladly provided a DJ and enough money to rent out the small beach house for the entire night. A few employees came down to help set up while The coach and half the team went into town to buy food, wood for a bonfire on the beach, all that stuff.

"Parrrttttayyyyyyy!" Selphie was dancing around the beach house's main room where the DJ booth was being set up. No music was playing yet or anything yet.

"Calm down," Tidus chuckled, "hasn't started yet…"

The room they were in was fairly large, big enough for the dance floor. The kitchen was just down the hall in a door to the right and had all the drinks and food on the counters along with an enormous punch bowl occupying the entire table. Selphie danced over to the large, glass screen door that opened up to the large deck in the back on the beach, in front of the ocean where wood was being piled up for a bon fire and the coach had the barbeque already going. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, watching Selphie sing and dance down the deck, towing Tidus along wit her, and onto the beach to help with the bonfire.

Kairi waved as Selphie halted in front of her, taking notice from the corner of her eye that Selphie had a firm grip on Tidus's hand. She giggled quietly to herself. "What's up?" She asked.

"How much longer?" Selphie asked, beyond human levels of excitement. "Till the party?"

Kairi shrugged. "As soon as we're finished getting everything up, I guess."

More than ready to help, Selphie headed for the pile of wood a few yards away.

Meanwhile, at the front of the house. Yuffie, Cloud, Leon, and Aerith were carrying in more food. Coming to see the last game, they flew in the day before from Destiny Islands. Roxas was talking to Axel and Reno, who also came to party (naturally). Riku and Namine were enjoying the sun, sitting on the steps from the deck down to the beach while they watched Selphie jump around with joy.

"I get to start the fire!" Axel called as they headed around to the back of the house, walking up to the gigantic pile of wood; that was still being added to. It had to last all night.

"Not fair!" Axel complained.

Roxas snickered, and headed inside to find Kim while Axel and Reno fought.

He found her sitting on one of the couches pushed against the wall to make room for the crowd that would soon occupy the middle of the room. She had her legs thrown over one of the armrests, and stared at him as he approached her.

"Hey…" She said quietly as Roxas sat next to her, leaning over and resting his arms on his knees as he turned his neck so he was looking up at her.

"Hey." He said back, a smile breaking out across his face.

Seemingly emotionless, almost statue-like, she sat there and stared at him for a long moment before Roxas sighed, leaned back up against the couch again and stretched his arms into the air for a moment. Kim tilted her head to the side to watch him, still showing no sign of emotion.

"So what's up?" Roxas asked, putting a smile back on after he yawned. The game really took it out of him.

Kim said nothing, and ignored the arm that stretched out behind her and rested on the top of the couch.

"Hmmmmm?" Roxas hummed, eyeing her quizzically.

Kim blinked slowly, and leaned back into his arm without a word. She paused for another minute or so before answering. "I'm tired."

"_You're_ tired?"

"Shut-up." Kim glared at him, thinking about slapping his arm away when it moved down to rest around her shoulders. "I'm not used to getting up at 7 am to watch a stupid game."

"Hmm." Roxas thought for a moment. "You didn't think it was so stupid just a few hours ago."

Kim ignored his statement. She yawned, flipping her legs off the couch's armrest to stand.

"And where do you think you're going?" Roxas chuckled, following her outside. He took a moment to check if Namine was anywhere close. She still didn't know, or, that's what he thought at least. He hoped she didn't.

"Quit asking so many questions." Kim actually laughed.

"Hey, Roxas!" Hayner called from behind, stopping them in their tracks. "We're almost finished, and Leon needs your help up front. I think he's already in the car."

"Where're we going?" Roxas asked, cocking an eyebrow. He looked over his shoulder and glanced at Kim briefly, watching her take a seat in the warm sand next to the pile of un-lit wood, staring in his direction still laughing. She didn't seem to care that he was leaving. He stuck his tongue out at her somewhat playfully and left around the house to the driveway with his best friend.

Hayner snickered. "Fireworks," he said in a hushed tone, holding up a finger to his mouth, "Don't tell dumb and dumber back there. They're go berserk."

Roxas laughed at Hayner's reference to Axel and Reno; who were still fighting about the bonfire.

"Fireworks, huh?" Roxas questioned as they got closer to the driveway. Leon honked the horn impatiently and Yuffie kicked open the door from inside and held it open.

Hayner threw his arms into the air for emphasis. "Big ones!" he said as he hopping into the car next to Roxas.

Leon started the car and pulled out of the driveway, zooming into town.

**000**

Axel and Reno had come to a compromise by the time the party started and it was dark and cold enough to start the fire. Reno had come up with a small, hand-made bomb in a matter of minutes and snickered at he dug through the large pile of wood, avoiding a few at they fell from the top. He stuck it in the middle and a few people helped build the pile back up again as Axel lit a match, laughing manically. People watched, stepping away a good enough distance, as Axel threw the match into the wood. A fraction of a second later and the center exploded, and sparks flew into the air as the fire raged, crackling and blazing. The small explosion set the entire thing on fire at once. Axel and Reno were beyond thrilled to watch their plan in action.

"Boom, baby! _Boom_!" Reno was laughing so hard that he had to use Axel's shoulder for balance. He thrust his fist into the air.

Sora was standing in the front yard when Leon pulled back into the driveway, Roxas and Hayner immediately jumping out and going around back to help Yuffie open up the trunk.

"Hey!" Sora waved, moving to help them with whatever-it-was that they were doing.

"Shhhhh!" Roxas warned. "Axel and Reno anywhere close?"

"Um… Not that I know…" Sora scratched his head.

"You wanna help?" Hayner asked cheerfully. Before Sora could answer, he handed him a large, overstuffed bag.

Sora looked inside of it for a moment. "Fireworks?"

"Shhh!" Roxas snickered. "S'a secret. Help up move them upstairs and into the closet."

Sora nodded, and Leon watched as the three boys and Yuffie headed up the stairs. He kept a good eye out of the pyros'.

**000**

Riku picked his way through the crowd on the dance floor and out onto the deck where Namine was still waiting for him, having difficulty avoiding all the people. The party had just started 2 hours ago, and he wasn't expecting this many people to show up so quickly. Half the town was here!

He sighed in relief when he finally made it outside, where it was considerably less crowded, and walked across the deck where Namine was, leaning against the railing. He hand her a soda, opened his, and then joined her. "Jeez…" he laughed, "Didn't know we were so popular."

Namine giggled.

"I swear – there's so many people in there it's hard to even move a foot," Riku exaggerated.

They moved down to the blazing bonfire, and sat next to each other on the sand. Riku wrapped his arm around Namine's shoulders and she leaned into him, sighing peacefully as the fire warmed her up. It was an unusually cold night in the Bahamas…

"So…" Namine nuzzled her head into Riku's neck, kissing his warm skin lightly before shifting her attention to the ring on her finger. It twinkled in the light from the fire, the red mixing in with the blue brilliantly. She smiled to herself and leaned against Riku more, running the tip over her finger over the fine-cute aquamarine diamond.

"Hm?"

Namine giggled. "I have _no_ idea what I'm going to tell my dad."

Riku stared at her stupidly for a moment, and then cached on when he glanced down at the ring on her finger. "Ooohh…" He reached down to grab her hand, caressing her fingers with his thumb. "Hmm… I suppose you could just tell him the truth."

"Maybe." Namine shrugged. Knowing her father – he probably wouldn't care. But Brittany… "And what about the witch-"

"_Brittany_," Riku corrected, "still don't like her, huh?"

"Not really."

"Honestly, I don't blame you." Riku laughed. "But, for your father, I'd give her another chance if I were you."

"I'll think about it." Namine said, playing with the ends of his gorgeous silver hair that fell down his chest.

"Mmm…" Riku hummed.

**000**

Kairi hugged her legs against her chest, resting her chin on her knees. She admired the glittery sky, and how the ocean reflected the light. Like a billion little diamonds were thrown all across the universe. Sitting on top of the roof, she could see her friends by the bonfire and swaying to the music on the deck. The noise was fainter outside, but the speakers were still blasting inside. Somehow, the night seemed more peaceful. Kairi had almost forgotten about the party entirely as she sat there and closed her eyes slowly, tracing along the rooftop with the tips of her fingers.

She opened her eyes halfway to the sound of the laughter, and smiled to herself quietly. They'd be home the day after tomorrow; what a perfect way to end the trip.

Kairi relaxed, closing her eyes again, thinking about nothing in particular. Simply enjoying the night.

"Oh…" A voice said suddenly from behind her, nearly making her jump 6 feet into the air. Her body tensed and her eyes flashed open, only to meet Sora's beaming blue ones. He was leaning down, his arms rested on his knees as he stared at her, amused by her reaction. She relaxed again. "There you are," he chuckled.

"Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" Kairi breathed, obviously not as entertained as Sora was. Sora laughed through his teeth still, his breath-taking smile even more marvelous than usual. "It's not funny. Quit laughing."

Sora turned to sit next to her and leaned forward a little so when he tilted his head he could get a better look at Kairi's face; half buried in her knees. He stared at her for a moment, and then leaned back, laying flat with his arms now laced behind his head. Kairi shifted to the side a little and admired his spiky hair, seeming to point in every direction; defying the laws of gravity. Sora smiled at her briefly, then closed his eyes and sighed, taking a deep breath of the sweet, midnight air.

"You okay?" She asked, tucking her auburn hair behind her ear.

"Never been better." He turned his head and looked up at her, reassuring. He showed off her favorite, cheesy smile.

"Mmm." Kairi hummed, her hands seeming to move on their own as they went to play with the ends of Sora's spikes. He chuckled again, and reached up to grab her hand.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, eyes curious.

Kairi shrugged. Sora laced their fingers together, smiling sweetly still. She moved their locked hands up to Sora's face to brush the back of her hand against his cheek. "No reason, really."

"I'm not buying that." Sora shook his head at her. He stared, patiently waiting for her to tell all.

Kairi sighed, ignoring him. She gazed ahead of her, out over the ocean and the moon; which was unusually bright tonight. There was a light mist floating above the water, which shined in the moon's light. The bonfire on the beach was dying slowly, but people didn't seem to notice. Like the night had just begun.

"You talk too much, Sora."

He half smiled. "Thanks."

There was a long silence. Kairi stretched her legs out in front of herself and yawned, lying back beside Sora. She leaned the side of her head against his, and peered up at the glistening sky, admiring how all the stars seemed perfectly placed in the heavens. She exhaled, tightening her grip on Sora's hand. Their palms fit together perfectly; like puzzle pieces.

"Sora?"

"I'm here."

"Have you ever tried to count the stars?"

Sora snickered. He turned his head to an angle so he could see Kairi's face, and laughed at her. "Oh yeah. All the time."

Kairi's eyes narrowed. She pursed her lips and shook her head at him. "Shut up." It was hard for Kairi to act mad for long. Sora's grin was infectious. She soon found that she was laughing too. "You're ruining the moment," she joked.

"Don't feel bad just because I'm an idiot."

Kairi looked away from him and relaxed again, fixing her eyes on the star that seemed to be directly above her head.

"Let me know when you've counted up every star in the sky."

"You know that's impossible, don't you?" Kairi scrutinized him.

Sora snorted.

He sifted his body to face her, slightly hovering over her and using his elbow to support his body. All he did for a long moment was stare back at her when she shifted her gaze to meet his. The way Sora was looking at her almost made Kairi forget to breathe. He let go of her hand and caressed her cheek lightly, smiling in an affectionate sort of way, his touch loving and warm. "You're so beautiful, Kairi." Sora breathed, cupping her cheek.

"Pfft."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Can't you just accept a simple compliment?"

Kairi didn't saw anything. She smiled at him, reaching up grab a handful of Sora's wild hair, admiring the way his hair felt in-between her fingers and the way his gorgeous ocean-blue eyes sparkled, blessing her with their existence. "I mean it," Sora insisted. "I must be the luckiest person to ever take the breath of life."

Kairi laughed at him. "_You're _the lucky one?"

"Don't even start."

When Kairi giggled, the way joy reflected off her face brilliantly, Sora could hardly contain himself. He leaned down and silenced her in a series of short, sweet kisses. He held her face against his firmly, taking in the warmth that came from her mouth gratefully when she kissed him back, wrapping one of her arms around his neck.

Kairi always thought it was kind of funny how Sora could make her forget some pretty important things when he kissed her. Stuff like her name, the time, and what planet they were on. The feeling she got when Sora was this close to her was overwhelming. Intoxicating.

Sora kissed her longer now, his lips still gentle against hers. He admired the way Kairi smiled against his lips, the sweet smell of her breath… Honey and Strawberries.

Almost too soon, Sora pulled away, the sound of their lips separating making him chuckle. His forehead leaned against hers, and he just appreciated her for a few minutes while she smiled, never opening her eyes. She didn't want to. For now, she was just going to savor the moment.

"Hmmm…" Sora hummed, tilting his head and kissing the edges of her ear. "I love you," he whispered. He ran his fingers smoothly through her silky hair.

Kairi wrapped her other arm around his neck, and giggled into his hair, tracing little hearts on his back with the tips of her fingers. "Again, you talk too much." Kairi stated, kissing his cheek. "And I love you too. More than you can comprehend. More than you love me, probably."

Sora shook his head at her. "If you seriously can't see how much I love you, than you're stupider than I thought. Words will never be enough to express my love for you." He pulled away a little more, and then pointed to his heart. "You've forever engraved yourself right here. After the thousands of times I've told you I loved you, how could you ever once believe that anything else in this world is more important to me than you?"

"Mmmm." Kairi breathed. "Sora…"

Suddenly, Sora exploded in laughter. Kairi stared at him, quizzical.

"Sora?" She asked, questioning his sanity. What was so funny?

"Wow… That's probably the cheesiest thing I've ever said, huh?" Sora leaned away from Kairi completely, lying down again. He reached for her hand and continued to hold it firmly.

"Maybe…" Kairi smiled at him, even through she knew he probably wasn't looking. "It was also the sweetest."

Sora turned to look at her again, and flashed her favorite smile again. "I love you," he repeated.

"I know."

He kissed her again once before getting to his feet and offering her a hand. "Now…" Sora smirked. "You owe me a dance."

"Since when?"

"Don't question me!"

Kairi rolled her eyes and took his hand. On their way to the main party room of the house, Kairi suddenly remembered something. "Do you remember what time they said we'd get home?"

Sora shrugged. "Noon? Why?"

Kairi sighed. "I'm such a horrible friend. Namine's birthday's the day after we get back. I haven't gotten her anything yet. I was going to stop by the mall and buy her something."

"Cool. I'll go with you."

"But you hate shopping."

"As long as I'm with you, that doesn't matter."

Kairi giggled.

**000**

"Goodbye…" Wakka sniffed. "Goodbye…"

"Oh please, Wakka…" Tidus mumbled. The cruise ship had just taken off and the Island they were just on for the past week was slowing becoming smaller and smaller. It was so small now that it looked like a green lump in the ocean.

Roxas and Kim were hanging out on the deck, leaning against the railing, also watching as the island disappeared.

Kim sighed. "Goodbye, free massages…"

Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Don't role your eyes at me." Kim glared at him.

Roxas laughed. "Pissy today?" He pocked at her arm. "As usual?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No. I love life."

Kim crossed her arms, pressing herself against the railing. Roxas smiled at her, enjoying her thoughtful expression.

"Any idea on how we're going to tell... Everyone?" Roxas questioned.

"Nope."

"Let me know when you do."

"Let me know when _you_ know." Kim snickered.

Roxas shook his head. "You're impossible."

"Sorry," Kim shifted her attention to him, "you're stuck with me."

"I never said I had a problem with that."

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

**000**

"Ungh…" A very annoyed brunette girl groaned. She dusted the floor with her hand, whipped the dust off on her skirt, and took a seat behind a few large boxes to keep hidden. "American's are slobs…" She complained, hugging her knees to her chest. Her reddish-brown eyes, full of irritation, shifted around the room nervously as the plane continued to soar through the air. She _almost _began to miss Paris.

Okay, she didn't miss Paris at all. She was ready for an adventure, gosh darn it! All she would really miss were her friends, and knowing them, they'd probably come looking for her.

Suddenly, the door to the storage room that she was hiding in opened. Two tall, intimidating men walked in and caught her out of the corner of their eyes. She cursed inside her head as they approached her.

"Can we help you, little miss?" they laughed, leaning down to get a good look at her face.

"Um…." She stalled.

"Oh? Mss. Peil? We were wondering why your seat was empty. Lost?"

The Brunette cocked her eyebrow. _Who's Mss. __Peil_Suddenly, she smiled. What a wonderful way to disguise herself. "Yes… uh, that's me." She stood, the men still towering over her 5, 5 body. "Show me to my seat!"

"Sure." One of them shrugged.

They led her to the 1st class part of the plane, and she grinned widely. Oh, this would be nice. Thanks _God_ it didn't smell like sweaty American anymore. "Thank you, thank you." She curtsied before she sat down.

She mentally slapped herself. _Did you just __curtsy?_ She shrank into her seat when people began to stare at her.

"What a beautiful accent," she heard someone behind her whisper.

"Hey," She stopped one of the men before they were gone completely, "where's this plane headed anyway?"

"Destiny Islands." The guy laughed, totally not-suspicious. Thank goodness.

She relaxed into her seat, and thought about it for a while. _Destiny Islands._

That sounded nice.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review, and yeah, I know, I need to write fast. As I've said before, as soon as the holidays are over, I won't be so busy.

_**AWARDS**_

1st place: **SaysHello3!!!!**

2nd place: **X- The Random Vampire –X!!!**

3rd place: **Mikey76500!!**

4th place: **Pheonix**** Helix!**

_**QUESTIONS ANSWERED**_

I'm not doing this _anymore._ I'll answer questions in replies :)

_**UPDATE**_

Don't forget to check the site. :) look at the soundtrack page. Every song that's ever been in the story is on that page, just incase you wanted to listen to a few or get the artists name.

OH, and don't forget to check out my other fic _**Summer Boys**_, too. :) Thanks!

_**BYE**_

Again, hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

"Life _is _pain. Anyone who tries to tell you differently is selling something." –Cracker-Jacks000 (Favorite quote from TPB)


	59. Trouble Is My Favorite Word

**A/N: **Hey! I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter! The holidays are close to being over, so just hang on a little longer and wait for the faster updates. They're coming.

BTW, if you like RikuxNamine, you'll probably like my other fic, _**Summer Boys**_. Check it out sometime if you're bored. :)

**Disclaimer: **_No, I think you've got the wrong person. __Seriously. I don't own it. _

**CHAPTER 59**

"Ah…." Hayner hummed when he looked out the window and saw the familiar beach and the ocean below. "Home…"

"Ungh…" Wakka moaned, leaning deeper into his chair. Pence rolled his eyes. "School…"

Tidus spun his Blitz Ball on the tip of his finger and sighed, admiring the ball for a short moment before stopping it and throwing it to Wakka. Wakka flinched, but caught it _("watch it," he mumbled_). "Bye bye competition. Back to playing Blitz Ball just to play Blitz Ball. See ya next year, Bahamas…"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing, ya?" Wakka made a face. "So long stress. S'all over!" He threw his head back and laughed, but Tidus bowed his head and sighed again.

"Careful man," Roxas chuckled, "Picken' up a Bahaman accent, _ya_?"

Kim joined Wakka in the glaring. "Are you _mental_?"

Roxas laughed harder and threw his legs over back of Hayner's seat. Hayner turned around in his seat to face him. "Dude, get your feet off!" He pushed Roxas's feet away from his head.

Kim sighed miserably. "I think. I'm going. To go. _Insane_."

The plane came to a top and everything was quiet for a moment before the doors opened and people began getting up to leave. Kim quickly stood, threw her bag over her shoulder, grabbed Roxas's arm and dragged him out of the plane before his friends could catch up.

**000**

As soon as the plane stopped, the brunette girl from Paris raced for the door. Shoving people out of the way, she was finally on the ground again. She almost felt like kneeling down and kissing it, but she felt too nauseated to do so. She hated flying. Before she could get herself caught, she dashed into the airport and weaved her way through the crowd, and began searching for where they dropped off her bags.

She was surprised she'd made it this far; half way around the world. She thought for sure her mother would've caught her by now. She always did.

"Miss?" She heard a voice from behind her, and froze.

"Uh…" She stuttered, and turned around slowly.

"You forgot this," it was one of those tall, intimidating looking men from earlier. He handed her a brown bag, which was hers, and smiled.

She sighed, relieved. He had no clue. "Um… _Mercy_." She thanked him in French, on accident. He gave her a funny look. "I mean thank you." Namine turned for the elevator, gone before he could even blink.

A few minutes later and she was already walking out the door, triumphant. She did it.

_She did it!_

She ran out into the parting lot and spun in circles, letting the snow fall and melt onto her face. She screamed with joy and threw her bag down to hold her arms out in the air. She was _free._ As much as she never really liked Americans, she was excited to be one.

And she wouldn't have to waist precious time learning English. She'd spoken both French and English as long as she could remember. She'd have no problem here.

Except for her heavy accent. That would be a problem for a while.

She stopped her victory dance and collapsed into a pile of snow, sighing in peace. She could already picture her new life; she'd get a job, live in an apartment, and spend every day on the beach (when it was summer, at least). That was way better than her life at home.

She'd miss her friends, though, she knew. She'd already promised them in her good-bye letter she'd see them again. Someday.

But not today. Today she was going to start her life as a different person. She could be anyone she wanted to be. She thought about changing her name for a while, from Nammah to something like… Well, something _different._

She shook her head. She liked her name. She'd keep it.

She picked herself back up and grabbed her bag, ready for her first mission; she needed a place to sleep. She'd have to start here completely from scratch.

She'd made sure to save up enough money (American money) to sleep in a hotel for a few nights until she was able to get a quick job. You were allowed to work at the age of 16 in America, right?

Nammah trudged through the snow to the sidewalk and took a moment to stare at the ocean, seemingly endless and icy. She really wished she had a camera. It looked so serine, so elegant. Perfect. She could only imagine what it might look like in the summer. She'd never been to close to the salty water before.

She shivered when a cool breeze whipped her hair around and touched the back of her neck, chilling her. She reached back and took her hair out of her messy pony tail so that it could fall down and shield her a little bit more from the cold. She reached inside her coat pocket and pulled out some gloves and slipped them on, and was on her way again to find a warm hotel. She could admire the ocean later.

The farther away she got away from the airport, the quieter it was. Was it always so silent here at night? Very few people were visible under the fading sky, and most lights were off. The stores were starting to close. It had gotten dark _fast._

Nammah held the handle of her bag tighter, feeling a bit unsafe. She'd seen movies, bad movies, that started with a 16 year old walking the streets alone at night. If she were home, her mother would never allow this, but where was she supposed to find a cheep hotel? Every inn she'd seen was ridiculously overpriced.

The exhausted side of her was starting to take over. Running away from home, sneaking on a plane to an Island she'd never heard of until now, and getting away with it really took it out of her. If she didn't find a plane to sleep soon, she'd collapse on the street.

She rubbed her eyes and dragged her feet on the side walk, turning to walk through the park which seemed to split the larger and smaller parts of the town in half. Halfway through she gave up for a few moment, stopping to sit down for a second and rub her frozen arms to get the blood flowing through them again. Every part of her was freezing, and she thought if she stayed outside much longer her nose would turn black and fall off. Not to mention her poor little toes.

She gave up on her arm and leaned into the back of the wooden bench, sighing. This wasn't turning out so great. She could picture the way she looked in her head; blue lips, skin like a ghosts (if it wasn't already turning back).

"I think I'm going to die," Nammah mumbled to herself. She closed her eyes against the cold, winter air. _I'll just close them for a moment or two_, she thought.

Sure enough, she ended up falling asleep. She fell flat across the bench and curled up. Her bag fell to the ground with a _thud_ but she was too tired to hear it.

The coldness faded as she drifted off into sleep, and everything eventually went black.

**000**

_"Maybe you should've taken her to the hospital…" "Nah, she's not that bad." "Look at her!" "Calm down!" "Poor girl…" _

Nammah could hear the voices in the background as her senses slowly returned to her. Everything was so blurry… So vague. Unclear. She used all the strength in her arms to push her body up in a sitting position.

_"Whoa!" _she heard the one the voices shout. She could hardly see his face as he slowly lowered her back down onto the bed. Her vision was all messed up. _"You should really sleep…" _

It was getting harder and harder to hear what he was saying.

_"Take it easy…"_

Nammah didn't care anymore. She must've caught some stupid American disease. Or a really bad cold. At least the room she was in now was significantly warmer.

_"Hey... Can….her__e__ me? A-…. Still Awake?" _She was only getting bits and pieces of their sentences now.

She was about to totally drift off again, until there was a loud _thump._

She immediately shot up, accidentally bumping fore-heads with the boy who was still hovering over her. She bowed her head and covered it with her hands, whining, "Aiiieeeeee…."

"Uh…" The boy tried to find his balance, dizzy. The girl helped him. "_Ow_."

"Can you be any more of an idiot?!" The girl asked another boy now lying on the floor in the back of the room.

"Sorry…" He mumbled. "But, oh, don't worry about me. My pain isn't as big of a deal to you, is it?"

"Your fault for leaning the chair up against the wall like that. If you cracked your head open, I seriously would've laughed."

"Jeez," the boy narrowed his eyes, "words hurt."

Confused, Nammah fell back onto the bed, still rubbing her forehead. At least she was fully awake now.

"Hey," She felt a soft hand on her arm. Nammah flinched, and the hand was removed. "You okay?" The girl asked, and Nammah could see the concern in her eyes when she looked in her direction.

Nammah was horrible at lying. Might as well not. She shook her head back and fourth as if to say, 'No.'

"I'm sorry," the girl laughed, "you probably think we're crazy. My names Kairi. The guy you bumped heads with is Sora, and the idiot back there is Roxas."

"Words hurt." Roxas reminded with a sigh. "Honestly, Kim's called me an idiot enough times for today."

Nammah took in all there names. Kairi continued. "We found you half frozen on a park bench. You're at Sora's house right now. Roxas found you," she glanced back at Roxas, who wasn't paying attention anymore, "you looked almost dead. You were ghost white and everything. Roxas was freaking out." She pointed over her shoulder and laughed. "You should've seen it."

"Mmm…" Nammah hummed, un-interested. So this wasn't a dream? She'd really almost froze to death? On a tropical island? _Sure, that__'s not crazy at all. _

"Sorry if we freaked you out. Since you're all warm now, you can go home I guess." Kairi shrugged, and took a few steps to the side to stand next to Sora. "But, uh, just a question. What's your name?"

Nammah stared at all three of them for a second. First to Roxas, then to Sora and Kairi, back to Roxas, and back to Sora and Kairi. "Erm… _Ja__m'appelle__ Nammah."_

Roxas looked up then, oblivious to what she just said. "_What?_"

"I-I mean I'm Nammah." Nammah laughed nervously.

"Dude," Sora stared at her, "your accent's _wicked_!"

"I… I gotta go…" Nammah stood, but Roxas stood in front of the door. "Wait! You're not from here, are you?"

"Let me leave. Please."

"Why are you so nervous? You're French, right?"

"Roxas!" Kairi scowled. "Let the poor girl go. It's none of our business.

"but-"

"Wait," Nammah interrupted Roxas. He just stared at her. "Where's my stuff?"

"Oh, your coat's by the door." Kairi informed, shooting a warning glance at Roxas.

"My bag?"

"What bag?"

"The one I had with me…" Nammah felt strange then. She clenched her fists and growled, realizing why they didn't have her bags. Of course, it had to be stolen. What was with this country!? "You stupid, _stupid_ Americans!" She screamed. "You're all thieves, every last one of you are greedy little thieves!"

"Whoa, hey…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "Prejudiced, are we?"

"I have your bag," Roxas told her, catching her attention.

"Let me have it!" Nammah scowled.

"Not until you tell me where your from and why you're here."

"Roxas, that's not-"

"Shut-up, Kairi." Roxas hissed. She silenced herself, surprised. Roxas was hardly ever this serious. "Answers," he demanded.

"Alright, I'm French." Nammah's lovely voice had a sharp edge to it. "Now give me my things and let me leave."

"Not until you tell me why you're here. Where's your mother?" Roxas questioned, staring at her accusingly.

Nammah said nothing. They glared at each other for the longest time before Sora interrupted them.

"Roxas, are you out of your _mind_?" Sora balked, a little disgusted.

"No, I think I know who she is." Roxas's eyes never left Nammahs. Nammah cringed. "remember that add on the newspaper you were reading this morning while Nammah here was sleeping. About the runaway hiding somewhere in America?"

Sora and Kairi froze.

"No _way_…" Sora's eyes were wide and his jaw was hanging open. Kairi held onto his arm.

"_Yeah_." Roxas nodded. "If we just let her go after finding her and the police find out, or she turns us in when they catch her, _whatever_, you know we'll be arrested?"

"Don't!" Nammah cried. "I'm never going back!"

"Oh my God…" Kairi sighed, sitting down. She didn't want to turn Nammah in, but she didn't want to be arrested ether.

"I won't turn you in, I _swear!_" Nammah crossed her heart with the tips of her fingers over chest.

"And where are you going to stay?" Sora asked, just as frustrated as Kairi was. "I mean, if we let you go."

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"How are you going to pay for food? Stuff like that? Sure, you'll be in trouble if you go back home but at least you won't starve." Sora suggested, pulling Roxas out of the way. Roxas took a seat stubbornly.

"I have plenty of money." Nammah backed away from Sora.

"They'll be looking for you_ forever_." Sora used his hands for emphasis.

"I don't care," Nammah folded her arms.

"How old are you?"

"16."

"You can't wait 2 more years to leave home?" Sora shook his head at her. He wasn't impressed.

"Look, what I do isn't your business. I won't turn you in, and I won't get caught to even have the chance. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like my bag so I can leave." She shot a death glare in Roxas's direction.

"Don't do it, man," Roxas glared back at Nammah, "no matter what she says, if you let her go, they'll find out and lock us all up for life."

Sora sighed. "Roxas, go get her bag."

Roxas stared at him in disbelief. "You're letting her _go_?!"

"No. I don't know what to do yet." Sora turned to face Roxas, but made sure he was standing in front of the door in Nammah's way. "We've got school again tomorrow, so call everyone and tell them to meet in student lounge number 5. We'll vote on it, because I have no idea what to do. I'm not exactly good at these sort of things."

"Because you're a sap."

"You're bad at making big decisions, too," Sora pointed out. Kairi, who was more relaxed now, laughed. "She'll stay at Kairi's house until then, if that's okay." He looked at Kairi.

Kairi smiled. "Of course!"

"Dude," Roxas reminded, "I'll be on my way to Alaska by then. School trip I signed up for, remember?"

"I already know your vote."

"Fine." Roxas sighed, then got up and disappeared into another room for a second. He came back and threw Nammah's bag across the room, at her feet.

"Hey, watch it!" Nammah huffed. Roxas was already out the door again and on his way home to hear her.

"Don't mind him," Kairi sighed, "he's in a bad mood. Lack of sleep. He hangs out with Kim too much, anyways. He doesn't think you're some horrible person or anything; he just doesn't want to get arrested. You know?" Kairi actually giggled.

"You're going to force me to stay with her, huh?" Nammah glared up at Sora. Sora smiled.

"We should leave now, I guess." Kairi sighed, getting to her feet. "My mother's probably freaking out by now. I've been here all night."

Nammah bit her lip. And they thought she was just going to go along with all of this?

Well, they were right. She sighed. She was caught. Same old same old. She was already grounded for life, anyways. Next thing she knew her mother would be putting iron bars over her door and windows.

Sora picked up Nammah's bag and opened the door for the two girls, following behind them down the stairs and outside to Sora's car. "I'll drive you home," Sora said as the girls were already getting in the car. Kairi sat up front with Sora and Nammah sat in the backseat, sighing.

She thought about all the times she'd ran away from home. At least she'd gotten over seas before her mother could catch her, or, the police. She'd gotten away with taking a plane to Rome once, but she was only there for a few hours before she was caught and put back on a plane for home.

But whatever. She didn't care anymore. She knew this would happen. She was beginning to miss her friends anyways.

A while later Sora pulled into the driveway of Kairi's house. He got out and helped Kairi out before reaching in the backseat to grab Nammah's bag. Nammah held her coat tightly at her sides when she walked into the freezing winter air again. She hurried behind Sora and Kairi and into the house, taking a deep breath when she was inside and the warmth from the fireplace came over her. Sora shut the door and carried her bag into the living room, letting it go next to the couch before giving Kairi a quick kiss goodbye and leaving.

Nammah sat on the couch quietly for a long time, just kind of waiting for something to happen. Kairi leaned over the couch and smiled at Nammah, waving a hand in front of her face to catch her attention. "Want some hot cocoa?" She asked.

"No thanks," Nammah muttered, still quiet.

Kairi sat next to Nammah. "Wanna watch TV?" She questioned, already reaching for the remote, trying to be friendly.

"No thanks." Nammah's voice was even quieter.

Kairi sighed. "Why'd you run away, anyways?"

Nammah shrugged. "I was bored, I guess."

Kairi made a face. "You were _bored?_Your mother must be worried sick."

Nammah laughed, which surprised Kairi a little. "She's used to it."

Kairi said nothing.

"My mother's overly strict. She doesn't think it's okay for me to have my own opinion." Nammah paused, and shook her head. "I have no life. I guess I'm just trying to find one."

"Do you not get along with her?" Kairi asked, sounding a bit sad. She already knew Nammah's father was gone, living somewhere in Australia. It would be horrible if her only parent wasn't as motherly as she should be.

"No. I get along with her fine. I love my mom." Nammah took a deep breath. "It's really hard to explain my mother, so I'm got going to. Okay?"

Kairi nodded, trying to be polite even though she wanted to know. "Okay."

Nammah leaned back in the couch, stretching her legs out in front of her and yawning. She tried to figure out why her back hurt so much.

"Do you have any friends back home?" Kairi asked, and Nammah tilted her head to look at her.

"Two." She answered simply. She smiled at the thought of the two boys, the best friends a person could ever wish to have.

"Mmm…" Kairi hummed. "Do you like America?"

"America…" Nammah almost hissed. "It's pretty. But I almost froze to death my first night here."

"That's kind of what happens when you decide to take a nap out in the freezing cold."

"Hn."

"So… What exactly is life in Paris like?"

"Stupid," Nammah laughed, "my mother never lets me leave the house for anything but school. She thinks I'm going to get myself in trouble. Or run away. I find ways out of the house without her knowing, though."

"You get in trouble a lot?" Kairi asked, curious.

Nammah threw her head back and laughed, almost in tears. "Getting in trouble is my favorite thing to do."

Kairi was fascinated. "Wow. That's… Different."

"So I'll be going to your school tomorrow?" Nammah asked, changing the subject.

"Uh… Yeah."

"What's it like there?"

Kairi thought about it for a second. "Crowded. Big. Noisy. The usual."

Nammah tried to picture the high school in her head.

Kairi stood up then, about ready to head off to the kitchen. "Well, I'm hungry. I'm going to make something to eat. If there's anything you want, just tell me." She looked down at Nammah's bag. "And you can unpack now, if you want. And there's a couple blankets in the closet if you feel like going back to sleep or anything."

"There's no need for me to unpack. I'm just going to be send home tomorrow anyways."

Kairi laughed. "Don't be so sure." She paused, smiled, and began to head for the kitchen.

Nammah watched her leave just around the corner, and rested her head on the ledge of the couch. Suddenly, Kairi shouted something else from the kitchen.

"You have my vote."

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Meh. It seemed a little boring to me. The next chapter will be a little more exciting, I promise. :)

_**AWARDS**_

Top reviewer:**The ****Darkside**** Incarnate!!!!**

2nd place: **Sayshello3 with ****rottingpeaches**

3rd place:**Mikey76500**

4rth place:**kenshinroks2111**

_**BYE!**_

Keep a look out for a Christmas fic I'm writing! Thanks and Merry Christmas in advance (just in case I don't update by then.

Forget crack. Are you on Goblin King? – Cracker-Jacks000 (Inside joke from the Labyrinth. You would've had to be there to get it)


	60. It's Your Vote

**A/N: **Whoot! I got it done before Christmas. Yay!

**Disclaimer: **_For the 60__th__ time, no._ _And I don't own the song, ether. _

**P.S. **Okay, 5 reviews? Come on. If I have to, I'll end the story before I said I would (April 21).

:) Enjoy! MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Oh, and by the by, I made a new fan site that looks a lot nicer as a _sort-of_ Christmas present. New link on my profile. But beware; I haven't really finished all the pages yet xD).

**Another thing: **In order to be able to end the story by April 21st, or before then, I have to do a couple time jumps. Just warning you. (Read authors note at the end to find out more info. on Another Story 3).

**CHAPTER 60**

_(Oh-My-Gasp)_

Roxas packed his bags slowly. Very slowly. He wasn't anticipating this trip to Alaska. He could hardly stand how ridiculously (and unusually) cold Destiny Islands had become, so how was he going to stand _Alaska_!? Not even the thought of being alone with Kim and not having to worry about giving their relationship away was enough to make him feel better.

_Okay. _It helped. But Alaska?

Roxas took a seat on his bed and stared across the room at his bags, now ready to go. But he wasn't. He shifted his attention to the heavy coat hanging on the door knob, seeming to tease him. A whole month in Alaska.

Yeah, it was official. Roxas had gone crazy. The only reason he was going in the first place was because Kim asked him to. And because she said it'd help him get to collage. He knew he needed all the help he could get.

He looked at the clock sitting next to the bed on the end table. It read: _6:42 a.m. _

He had a little over a half hour to meet the rest of the Students from Destiny High who had signed up for the trip. It was about a ten minute drive to the airport from his home, but he felt the urge to visit Kim first. But, knowing her, she was probably there, already waiting for him.

Roxas heaved a sigh and stood, shrugging on his coat and grabbing his bags.

Here goes nothing.

He arrived at the airport exactly 11 minutes later, and made his way over to where he was instructed to wait. Once he was in the room, he scanned it. There were a few kids half hanging off their chairs and fast asleep, and just like he knew she would be, Kim was sitting quietly and patiently next to the window, staring out of it and paying no attention.

He set his bags down where everyone else had left theirs and walked across the room slowly, hardly hearing his feet hit the ground as he approached Kim.

_**Check yes Juliet**_

_****__**are you with me**_

_****__**rain is falling down on the sidewalk**_

_****__**I won't go until you come outside**_

Kim looked up at him, half smiling.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Roxas admitted.

Kim rolled her eyes at him.

_**Check yes Juliet**_

_****__**kill the limbo**_

_****__**I'll keep tossing rocks at your window**_

_****__**there's no turning back for us tonight**_

Roxas sat down next to Kim, sighing and leaning deep into the chair.

"You look happy to be here," Kim laughed sarcastically, "with me."

"Yes," Roxas looked at her, holding back his groan, "I can't wait to freeze my ass off."

More people began walking into the room, signaling it was almost time to board the plane.

_**Lace up your shoes**_

_****__**A O A O ah**_

_****__**here's how we do**_

"Well," Kim got to her feet, flinging her bag over her shoulder, "Let's get this over with, then."

"That's all you packed?" Roxas asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, they took the rest. I think it's already on the plane." Kim shook her head at him then, amused. She tugged on his arm. "_Come on._ Just look at this way: You get to skip school for a week."

"Not really. The school funded this trip. They're bound to force us to learn something."

"I'll hit you," Kim huffed, irritated. She almost wished that she hadn't signed him up.

"I'm coming, _I'm coming_," Roxas took a deep breath and followed Kim, and everyone else, outside and towards the plane.

_**run baby run**_

_****__**don't ever look back**_

_****__**they'll tear us apart **__**if you give them the chance**_

_****__****__**don't sell your heart**_

_****__**don't say we're not meant to be**_

_****__**run baby run**_

_****__**forever will be **_

_****__**you and me**_

They were the last to walk onto the plane, purposely taking their time. It was obvious to Roxas that Kim wasn't exactly anticipating the cold ether. But, he knew she'd do anything for an A. He didn't really understand why she'd want him in her way, though.

They sat next to each other in the back of the plane, far away from the 12 others who were coming, and Kim threw her bag under the seat before getting comfortable.

_**Check**__** yes Juliet**_

_****__**I'll be waiting**_

_****__**wishing, wanting**_

_****__**yours for the taking**_

_**Just sneak out **__**and don't tell a soul goodbye**_

They were given instructions and schedules, and all that stuff (A/N: I've never been on a plane, so I have no idea).

A while later and the plane began flying across the track, preparing for liftoff. Kim stuck a pair of headphones in her ears, turning the volume up as high as it would go, and closed her eyes.

Roxas stared out the window, watching Destiny Islands disappear behind him when the plane took off. He sighed. 11 hours and they'd be far,_ far_away from home.

_**Check**__** yes Juliet**_

_****__**here's the countdown**_

_****__**3...2...1... Now fall in my arms**_

Roxas tried to shove his distaste for Alaska aside. He tried to focus more on the time he'd get to spend with Kim. He almost smiled. Maybe she'd decide to be nice to him, for once. No name calling, no hitting. Maybe she wouldn't feel the need to.

He tilted his head towards Kim, admiring the peaceful look on her face. She didn't realize he was staring at her and continued to focus on the music.

He thought about grabbing her hand, but she'd probably murder him.

_**Now they can change the locks**_

_****__**don't let them change your mind**_

He didn't care anymore. He wasn't going to let her stop him. Before he could even more his hand, though, she reached out and grabbed his first. He stared in disbelief at their hands, and Kim (who hadn't bothered to open her eyes).

He almost laughed, and laced his fingers through hers. He couldn't get past how _soft _her skin was. Their hands rested on the arm rest in-between their seats.

_**W**__**e're flying through the night**_

_****__**we're flying through the night**_

_****__**way up **__**high,**____**the view from here is getting better with**_

_**y****ou by my side**_

Roxas used his free hand to rip one of the headphones from Kim's ear and hold it up to his own. She squeezed his hand violently. "_Roxas_…!" She growled quietly, trying not to attract too much attention.

Roxas smiled at her innocently, and she sighed, letting him keep the stolen headphone.

Roxas winced at how loud to music was turned up. "Ouch…" he muttered, returning her headphone and rubbing his ear. "You're going to be _deaf_ by the time you're _30_."

Kim squeezed his hand again, warning him that if he didn't shut up, she'd rip his ears off.

Time passed on slowly and quietly. Kim turned her music down eventually, but only so she could get to sleep easier. While Kim drifted off to sleep next to him, Roxas tried to pass time by watching the movie playing up on the screen in front of the room. A few hours later, the screen turned off and it was obvious that Roxas was the only one left awake.

He looked out the window, but only saw black. He tried to count sheep, but there was no way he was going to be able to get to sleep. For some reason, at the moment, sleeping was impossible.

The look on Kim's face was priceless. She was out cold. Her unconscious body leaded to the side, towards him, and the music continued to play pointlessly. She looked tranquil, and somewhat helpless. He didn't feel threatened by her at all.

Just then, her body shifted and she nearly fell on him, but he caught her with ease. She was leaning against his shoulder now, just like she was on their plane trip back from Hawaii, once upon a time ago.

Her breath was warm against the skin of his neck as she continued to sleep, almost using his shoulder as a pillow. Roxas imagined that it wasn't very comfortable for her. She didn't seem to mind.

He could get used to this.

**_run baby run_**

**_don't ever look back_**

**_they'll tear us apart if you give them the chance_**

**_don't sell your heart_**

**_don't say we're not meant to be_**

**_run baby run_**

**_forever will be _**

**_you and me_**

**_you and me_**

**000**

"I _really_ don't like this…" Nammah made a face at her reflection in the mirror. Kairi huffed.

"Look – You're going to have to cooperate with me if you don't want to get caught. I'm pretty sure everyone in the school's heard about you by now." Kairi said, picking up the hat Nammah threw across the room.

Nammah's shoulder-length light, brown hair was now completely black (dyed temporarily). She was wearing hazel contacts to hide her natural reddish-brown eye color, and was dressed up in the Destiny High school uniform. Kairi had tried to hide half Nammah's face under one of her hats but Nammah wasn't having it. "This is stupid!" Nammah complained.

"Oh, and another thing," Kairi gave up on the hats, putting them away in her closet, "Don't talk. Your accent's going to give you away in a heartbeat."

"I'll do what I want."

Kairi glared at her. "You know, there _is_ a police station right around the corner-"

"Fine." Nammah gave in, sitting down and folding her arms stubbornly across her chest.

Kairi cut out Nammah's picture from the newspaper and held it out right next to Nammah, looking back and fourth between the two for a few seconds. "Okay, I guess that's convincing enough. Just try to hide your face until we're alone with my friends, okay?"

Nammah nodded slowly, sighing. She'd already made sure to pack her bags when Kairi wasn't looking.

Kairi tossed Nammah her jacket and put on her own, and then lead Nammah to the door. They caught a buss that stopped about a block away from the school and walked the rest of the way there while the snow continued to fall silently. Kairi could hear Nammah scowl every now and then, not happy to be in the situation she was in.

"Don't you ever smile?" Kairi asked, giving up on trying to cheer Nammah up.

Nammah said nothing.

They walked into the school silently; walking along the wall until they reached the end of the main student lounged located in the center of the school. The walked down the hallway to the quieter lounge where everyone else would be waiting – ready to vote.

They walked into the room and everyone looked up from whatever-it-was that they were doing and just stared at Nammah, who just took a seat across the room from everyone. She kept a blank face and looked down, ready to be sent away as soon as it was official that they didn't want her here.

"Whoa…" Pence gawked at Nammah, on the edge of his seat. "You weren't kidding!"

Nammah bit her lip.

"I'm kind of curious as to how you were able to lead a stowaway through the school without getting caught." Riku raised an eyebrow when Kairi just shrugged. She sat next to Sora.

It was silent for a while; clearly, no one wanted to be first. But Kairi broke the silence eventually.

"I vote she stays." Kairi nodded towards Nammah, half-smiling.

"_What!?"_ Pence stared at her, frazzled. "Are you _insane_? We're breaking, like, five different laws here! Do you _want_ to be locked up for the rest of your life!?"

"Shut-up and vote," Namine glared at him, and then looked up at Riku. Riku shrugged.

"I vote she leaves." Pence folded his arms.

"I vote she stays." Sora nudged Kairi, who smiled at him.

"Leaves." Tidus said, followed by Wakka, who voted the same thing. Nammah sighed.

3 to 2.

"Leaves." Olette sighed, giving Nammah an apologetic face. Nammah ignored it.

"Stays." Selphie raised her hand, her usual smile never leaving her face.

4 to 3.

"Stays." Namine and Riku said at the same time, getting Nammah to look up for a second. She was clearly confused.

Pence rolled his eyes.

4 to 5.

"Leaves." Hayner voted quietly, shaking his head. Now they were tied.

"What about Roxas?" Riku asked.

"He's not here," Kairi grimaced, "his vote doesn't count."

"Well, that's everyone, and we're tied. What now?" Tidus asked, scratching his head.

They all stared at each other, waiting.

"Call Yuffie, and Aerith, and the rest of them!" Selphie suggested. Kairi shrugged.

She pulled out her cell phone while everyone waited, staring. "Yeah, it's me, Kairi," Kairi greeted their other friends on the phone. "Say – If you found a stowaway and had to decide whether or not she got to stay or leave, what would you do?"

On the other line Yuffie was asking Leon, Cloud, and Aerith. She turned back the phone and gave her an answer, obviously clueless that they actually had a stowaway from Paris sitting in the room with them.

Kairi flipped the phone shut, putting it away in her pocket before looking up and smiling. "Nammah stays," she announced, telling everyone who voted what. Leon was the only one that said he'd make her leave.

Nammah stared, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. She was _staying_!? Pence was infuriated.

**000**

Kairi claimed she was sick to get out of school and take Nammah back to her place. She'd promised Nammah that she could stay until she found an apartment and a job, as long as she stayed well out of her mother's way. That would be a disaster.

Nammah was thrilled. She'd agreed to keep her disguise up, black hair and all, in order to roam around the town as she pleased. As long as she stayed out of trouble and didn't attract too much attention to herself.

The two girls hid Nammah's stuff well in the back of Kairi's walk-in closet, where they also made her a bed in the middle of the floor. It would have to work, for now.

How this was all going to work out –Kairi had no idea. But she believed Nammah should have her own choice in what she decided to do with her life, that that was _her _business and not anyone else's.

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! My updates should start to get a bit more normal from here on out. Promise (except finals, but I'll warn you).

Sorry it took so long to write so little!

If you want to listen to any of the songs I use in the story, or want to know the artists name, visit my site on the soundtrack page.

**_Another Story 3?_**

Yes. There should be an Another Story 3. After I end this story, I'm going to write a bit of it before I post it somewhere around July. If definitely won't be as long as this one, though. Maybe 20 chapters. And it takes place a year or two after they start collage. I've already got ideas. It'll be good.

**_Awards!_**

Top reviewer: **The** **Darkside**** Incarnate!!!!**

2nd place:**Sayshello3**** with ****Rottingpeaches!!!**

3rd place:**kenshinroks2111!!**

4th place: **Shiba****-X!**

Thanks go out to those of you who did review the last chapter. Ya'll rock my face off.

**A Note: **I would've updated a few days sooner, but guess what? I sprained my ankle. I know. Right before X-Mas. I had to stay off my ankle for a few days and my dad wouldn't let me use the computer to write. Just a note; wrestling with a 110 pound Rottweiler isnot smart.

There goes my perfect record of no sprains, broken bones, exedra.

**_AS2 FANSITE?_**

Yeah. I made a new one. The link is on my profile. There's fan art, character profiles, spoilers, music, exedra. Enjoy!

**_Ta-Ta!_**

Merry Christmas (again)!!! Thank you so much to the reviewers who have been reviewing this story for over a year now! YOU ROCK!

Review and I'll get back to you!

Let's hope I don't end up killing myself before I have the chance to update –Cracker-Jacks000 (I'm a frigin' klutz…)


	61. A Little Late

**A/N: **Thanks for waiting so patiently for updates the past few months. It was handled better than I thought it would be. Ya'll rock!

I hope your Christmas was the best.

**Disclaimer: **_Ungh. _

**CHAPTER 61**

Alaska was a lot warmer than Roxas thought it would be. Still freezing, but not so bad.

For the next month, they'd be living in a tacky hotel with limited space and no hot water. Roxas had to remind himself to be thankful several times throughout the first day. At least they didn't have to live in an igloo.

Kim seemed to be taking it better than he was which was _odd_, considering all her high maintenance crap. As soon as they showed up, she dragged Roxas up to the highest floor, away from everyone else (anti-social, much?), and began unpacking next to the bed closest to the dinky little window that had a nice view of _Nothing._ Nothing but ice and snow.

The hotel was unusually far away from town, in the middle of nowhere. Roxas couldn't come up with a reason for this, as hard as he thought about it. Kim warned him not to think too hard; or else his brain might explode.

Now nearly 10 p.m, Kim had gone off to find a quiet place to read her book and left Roxas in their official hotel room, all alone.

The room was almost completely bare. All there was when they arrived was a couple of small beds, a closet, and a mini fridge. The paint on the walls way about to peel off, the carpet (a sickening brown color) was stained, and when the light hit the room perfectly you could almost see the dust falling from the ceiling.

He was about to take a shower but quickly changed his mind when he found out there was no warm water. He didn't mind cold water so much – he was used to it – but the water was so cold it felt like jumping into an icy lake.

Wow. Kim had said before they left that the trip was free – and usually for trips like this it cost thousands. He suddenly knew why the school didn't demand you to pay yourself. It must've been really cheap for them to fund.

He sat on the bed and thought about it for a long while. What else was there to do? It began to feel like the minutes were hours. Roxas found himself checking the clock every five seconds.

Suddenly, his door swung open and Kim appeared, walking in and shutting the door behind herself. She stared at Roxas for a moment, blank, and then went to put her book away. Roxas watched her as she moved about the room, looking bored, but not nearly as bored as he must've looked.

She paid little attention to him for the moment, finding things for her to do on her own. She sat down and studied for a while, just in case. After that she picked up her book again, but quickly put it away. She moved to look out the window from her bed for a while, still seeming blank and emotionless.

Roxas tried to do the same things she'd taken up so much time doing, but couldn't stand sitting still. He had to get up and do something._ Anything._ They'd been told to stay in the hotel for the time being, and he thought about sneaking out. He was pretty sure Kim would stop him, though. They got along a lot better when he did what she wanted.

He continued to stare at her, sitting across the small room. He was sitting on the floor now, leaning up against the wall with his arm rested on top of his bag. She seemed unaware of his eyes on her and continued to concentrate on whatever was beyond the window.

She seemed unusually lazy the past few hours they'd been together in silence. She moved little and kept a straight face. She was so still she almost looked like stone, frozen in place. Her long blackish-brown hair fell halfway down her back and over her shoulders, slightly shielding her face because of the way she was leaning forward, towards the window. Her silver eyes seemed dull today – lifeless. They'd been that way since she'd woken up on the plane right before they left the airport to come _here_. He wanted to ask, but didn't feel like risking anything.

He wasn't so worried, though, like other people would've worried. He knew her too well. Very little got to her. Well, very little besides _him_. All he had to do was open his mouth and make a stupid statement to bother her. He didn't really understand why she showed so much emotion (mostly rage) towards him and so little emotion towards everyone else. Even Namine, now. He couldn't remember the last time Kim even _looked_ at her.

Sure, it looked like Kim went around threatening every person who looked at her funny, but really, she mostly kept to herself. Or at least now she does. She was almost completely different from the first time he'd met her in front of the school. Had that really been so long ago? It felt like time was going by quick, sometimes.

Kim sighed just then and fell on her back. She looked so helpless, it was almost funny. "What time is it?" She asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you talking to me or the wall?" Roxas snickered. Kim growled at him. "Midnight."

She tilted her head backwards and looked back at Roxas upside-down. "Tired?"

"Nope."

"Me nether."

Roxas shrugged and she shifted her attention back to the ceiling. Roxas lifted himself back up to his feet and walked over to the bed Kim was on and sat next to her, trying to figure out what about the ceiling was so interesting to her to hold her attention for so long.

"I think I'm going to die of boredom." She admitted. She closed her eyes and looked annoyed, making a face. Roxas actually laughed for the first time in what seemed like forever to him (which was actually just a day). "It's not funny."

Roxas wasn't about to apologize. He leaned his head closer to hers when she opened her eyes, taking notice to how dull they still looked, and smile _real _wide. "I think we should sneak out."

"I think you're an idiot."

Roxas sighed and leaned away. "I knew you'd say that. Fine. We'll just stay here and stare at the wall all month."

"I never said I didn't want to go." Kim sat up and shook her head at him. Roxas smiled again.

**000**

Nammah was on her fifth sea salt ice cream cone, ignoring all other life. She sat inside of the ice cream shop (located around the center of the mall) at one of the little tables while Kairi watched her, half amused and half disgusted. Nammah was so tiny; it was hard to imagine where she put it all.

"It's official," Nammah said with a mouth full, "I'm never going home."

"You're going to get a brain freeze," Kairi pointed out.

Nammah suddenly dropped her ice cream and held her head, making a face that expressed pain. "Too late." Just as soon as the cold feeling was over, though, Nammah was already paying for another one.

"Are you really going to blow all your money on _ice cream_? I thought you were saving up for an apartment." Kairi leaned her head into the palm of her hand. Nammah ignored her and continued shoving her face into the blue ice cream.

Finishing up her sixth cone, Nammah sighed peacefully and let her fake black hair fall over her face a little.

"Finally had enough?"

"Nope." Nammah snickered. "Not even close."

Just then, the door to the little ice cream shop swung open, the bells on top warning the cashier someone had just walked in, and Selphie pranced in.

"Hey, Kairi." She half sung the words as she sat in the free seat at the table. Nammah was at the ice cream again. "Um. Hey, Nammah."

Nammah paid little attention.

"Thanks for coming." Kairi smiled. Kairi had called Selphie about a half hour ago, informing her about the clothing trouble. Nammah's clothes were going to give her away, big time, so she'd taken her to the mall to buy new things to wear (it was all on Kairi, though, of course). She'd needed Selphie's help so they could hit several stores at once and be out of the mall in time enough for her to catch her movie with Sora at 6:00 p.m.

They were totally going to re-do Nammah's wardrobe.

Nammah was unwillingly dragged out of the ice cream shop (Selphie almost had to be dragged out too – claiming she could use some ice cream herself). They split up, Nammah going with Kairi. Selphie got all of Nammah's clothing sizes and headed for the second level of the mall while Kairi stayed on the bottom level.

By about 5:00 p.m, they were walking out of the mall with bag after bag of clothing. Not as much as Kairi had expected they'd get out of her money, though. Of course Selphie had to get the most expensive things she could find at the most expensive stores.

"I was hoping you'd avoid Abercrombie." Kairi mumbled. Selphie shrugged. Kairi continued, "100 dollars for a pair of jeans is ridiculous." Nammah made a face. (A/N: I had to add something about that store. I _live_ there. It is a little… expensive, though -sigh-).

Sora was waiting in Kairi's driveway, sitting in his mothers borrowed car (he really needed to get his own). Kairi rolled her eyes because Sora was twenty minutes early, as usual. Sora watched her help Nammah up to her room with all the new clothing before she dashed back outside to meet Sora, locking the door behind her.

Sora reached over and unlocked the car door, starting the car as soon as Kairi was sitting next to him.

"Your mother's car always smells like old lady."

"Thanks." Sora snorted.

**000**

"Okay," Roxas shivered, "I miss the hotel now."

Kim mumbled something he couldn't understand.

They were still walking towards the town, which they could barely see now. They'd been trudging through the snow for about a half hour. Kim wrapped her arms around herself, holding her coat against her skin. Roxas shuddered, throwing his hood over his head to where almost hung over his eyes and he could barely see where he was going.

"This w-was a b-bad idea," Kim scowled, tightening her grip on the coat.

Finally they reached sidewalk and could see other people walking around off in the distance. The part of town they were now in was nearly deserted.

"Haha, check it out," Roxas chuckled, "I can see my breath."

Kim rolled her eyes. She spotted a restaurant and grabbed Roxas's arm, dragging him inside where it was warm. As soon as they walked inside, Kim was shrugging off her coat, brushing the snow off of her, and Roxas was rubbing his hands together. The hostess greeted them and Roxas requested the booth closest to the heater. He continued warming himself once they were seated.

Inside the building it was nice and warm, but oddly empty. Besides themselves, there weren't too many other people. Roxas promised he would pay since he 'dragged her all the way out here.' The waitress took their orders right away and, surprisingly, they were already being served within 15 minutes. Roxas asked if they were slow, or something, but the waitress just shrugged and walked off.

"Think we're going to get caught?" Roxas asked, still shivering a little. He decided not to take his coat off.

"Probably." Kim said, thinking little off it. She yawned, looking out of the window. It must've been about 2 in the morning.

Sure enough, just then, marched in one of the teachers that came on the trip with them to watch over them. He didn't look mad, just a little annoyed. And amused. "There you are." He almost laughed.

"Wow," Roxas looked up at him, "that was fast."

"I followed you here." The teacher admitted.

"Why?" Roxas asked. "You could've just caught us and dragged us back into the hotel _before_ we froze."

"I wanted to see where you were going," the teacher paused, and then continued, "and something in town distracted me anyways."

"So we're not in trouble?" Roxas grinned, leaning back in his seat.

"Oh, you're in trouble," the teacher laughed, moving out of the way for them to get up, "now move it. Back into the cold with ya'."

**000**

Sora had pretty much gotten over his shyness. For the most part, at least. He'd been dating Kairi for, what, almost a year now? Time was passing faster and faster.

Kairi wasn't worried about Nammah, so after the movie they'd agreed to go hang out and eat dinner at Sora's house for a few hours until his mother got home from work. They'd ended up just eating ice cream instead of dinner and lounging around on the couch. Kairi was flipping through a picture album while Sora watched the T.V. She giggled at some of the pictures of Sora and Riku in grade school. _Nerds, _she thought. There were several pictures of the three of them on the swings at the park or at the beach, having the time of their lives. Kairi missed being 12.

Kairi loved how incredibly cheesy Sora's grin was. From birth till now. He was such a kid.

She stared at him out of the corner of her eye, attention fixed on the T.V. and remote in hand. He laughed at whatever was going on inside the screen and Kairi smiled. Feeling her eyes on him, Sora turned his head and caught her staring. He flashed that goofy grin and laughed again, leaning towards her. "What're you doing?" he asked.

Kairi decided that there was no reason to lie. "Admiring you."

Sora thought about that for a moment. His face turned a couple shades of red and pink. "…Oh." Suddenly his eyes caught the page Kairi was on, and took the book from her. He began laughing. "Whoa. Look at how _little_ we were!"

"Wow," Kairi stared at one of the pictures of Riku, "look at Riku. He looks so much taller than us."

"Riku's always been freakishly tall." Sora made a face.

"Jealous?"

"That's not nice." Sora laughed.

Sora was 5, 11". Riku was 6,2". There wasn't much to be jealous of. Kairi suddenly felt bad for Nammah. She was… Unusually short. 5,2". She was also very skinny and petit, odd enough. And the black hair they'd given her made her look pale. Not that she wasn't pretty, she was very pretty, she just looked _different_. Not like she thought the French should look.

"Want more ice cream?" Sora asked. Kairi thought of earlier this day when she watched Nammah devour several gallons of ice cream. She couldn't even imagine the stomach ache she must've had right about now.

"N-no thanks." Kairi tried not to look sick. The thought nauseated her.

Suddenly the phone began to ring, and Sora shot up. "I'll be right back," he said, walking around the corner. He came back a few minutes later.

"My mom will be home soon. They're letting her off early." Sora sighed, standing next to the couch Kairi was sitting on.

"Oh." Kairi shrugged, trying not to sound disappointed. "I should probably check on Nammah anyways. She's probably not feeling too well."

Sora made a face.

"Long story."

Kairi stood up and grabbed her coat. Sora moved to grab his keys but Kairi stopped him.

"I'll just take a bus," she smiled.

"But-"

"Bye." Kairi kissed him quickly and was already on her way to the door before Sora could even blink.

"Fine." He sighed, feeling like he was talking to the wall. He watched Kairi leave and threw himself back onto the couch, almost frustrated. He didn't know why. He eyed the empty bowl sitting on the end table.

Maybe he was still hungry.

**000**

To Kairi's surprise, when she got home, Nammah was just fine. She was hiding from Kairi's mom in the closet with a flashlight, reading one of Kairi's gossip magazines. She looked quite amused.

"I have to admit," Nammah giggled, not bothering to look up at Kairi, "Americans are funny."

Kairi rolled her eyes playfully and shut the closet door on Nammah. She heard a muffled "Hey!"

Nammah opened the door and put the magazine back where she found it in a box next to Kairi's computer. She sat on the floor and Kairi sat down across from her. "I came home thinking you'd be throwing up in the sink, or something."

Nammah made a disgusted face. "What?"

"All that ice cream."

"Oh." Nammah thought about it. "For some reason, it doesn't bother me."

"I can see that." Kairi laughed.

"So how was your… Um, date?" Nammah asked. Kairi still couldn't get used to her accent.

"Great. How was the magazine?" Kairi leaned against the wall, getting comfortable.

Nammah began laughing. "Dramatic. Pointless. Exaggerated."

"Yes." Kairi shook her head. "But I guess that's what makes it interesting."

It was quiet for a while and Nammah finally stopped laughing. Her voice was rich and velvet and she began to hum quietly, playing with the ends of her long, fake black hair. "You're friends that we met the other day…" She began.

Kairi looked at her. "Mmm? What about them?" she asked, resting her head in her folded arms.

"The one with the silver hair," Nammah went all dreamy-eyed, "what's his name?"

Kairi laughed. Hard. "He's engaged."

Kairi could hear the disappointment in Nammah's voice. "Oh…"

"Yeah. That girl that was sitting next to him, Namine, has been his fiancée for about a week now. You're a little late." Kairi was trying not to giggle.

**000**

_Two and a half weeks later. _

Nammah was yet to be caught. She his herself very well. She had even stared to go to school with the others, and the teachers hadn't noticed anything strange about her. Kairi taught her to cover up her accent, for the most part. She was sounding more and more American every day. She was back to normal whenever she was with Kairi, though.

She'd taken time to explore almost every inch of Destiny Islands. Kairi and Sora had taken her to the Island they used to play on when they were smaller. Pence ignored her, regularly making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.

Nammah had taken an interest to Blitz Ball. Spring was right around the corner, and the snow was almost completely gone. She spent half the day on the beach with Tidus and Wakka, learning to play their sport. Selphie would tag along every once and a while, but for the most part was uninterested. When the weather was warmer, Nammah would join most of the boys in their competitive games on the beach. Kairi had never seen her have so much fun.

Nammah and Kairi had become close friends. She took all Kairi's classes. When Kairi wasn't out with Sora, and Nammah wasn't playing on the beach, they were usually out somewhere in town together. Since she was with Tidus and Wakka every day now, they were pretty good friends too. She'd also gotten to know Selphie, since she usually tagged along when Kairi and her went into town.

Nammah had almost been caught living in Kairi's house by her mom several times, so she was sent off to live in Sora's basement instead. Sora didn't mind one bit, because Kairi was over at his house even more now. They played monopoly a lot. Nammah usually won.

**000**

_Friday._

Nammah was halfway through her lunch when she realized she left her bag in her 3rd period class. "I'll be right back," she told Kairi as she got up. Kairi smiled and then Nammah was gone. She dashed up the stairs and walked into the empty room. Her teacher was most likely on break.

She grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder, and was about to leave when she heard a bang on the window. She shrugged her shoulders when she saw nothing, and continued walking towards the door. But the knock came again. When she turned around, her bag fell to the ground.

_"Jake?" _

**+TO BE CONTINUED+**

**A/N: **I hope that was okay. Ehh.

Okay. I need to write some serious fluff. But I don't know which couple to write it for. Tell me who you want to see with some serious fluff and I'll write it.

**Awards:**

Top reviewer: **Mikey76500!!!**

2nd place: **The Darkside Incarnate!!**

3rd place: **XFireFistAceX!**

_No more 4__th__ place!_

_**Happy New Year!**_

My New Year party was fun. I stayed up all night with my youth group. We played this game called 'socks.' It's where you stand in a circle with a bunch of other people and try to rip each others socks off. You should've seen the guys. They beat the crap out of each other.

_**Bye!**_

Have a great weekend. ;D

I'm Weird Like That – Cracker-Jacks000


	62. Under His Touch

**A/N: **Thanks for waiting so long for an update. I had finals.

**Disclaimer:** Not the game. Not the song. Sorry.

Oh, BTW, this chapter kind of makes it seem like Nammah's leaving right away. She's not.

Most voted for Riku/Namine fluff. Here you go. :) (Roxas/Kim is coming us soon, for the rest of you that voted. I swear)

**CHAPTER 62**

"Have you seen Nammah anywhere?" Kairi asked, leaning to her side towards Namine. Namine shook her head and frowned. Kairi got up from the lunch table, grabbing Sora's arm to drag him along wit her, and waved goodbye to her friends before taking off to find her lost friend. She worried that maybe someone had caught her. Not good.

"Where're we going?" Sora asked; clueless.

"To find Nammah."

"You let her walk off by herself?"

Kari gave him a look of irritation, but not because she was mad at him. "What is she, two?"

Sora sighed. "So we're just going to search the entire school now?"

"We can start with Nammah's classes." Kairi was serious. If Nammah was caught, that would mean the end. For all of them. And she was also scared of losing her friend.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Fun, fun." He had hardly had enough time to finish just half of his lunch. He wondered which one of his friends was eating the rest for him right about now.

**000**

"Nammah!" Jake exclaimed with excitement. He crawled half-way through the open window and looked up at his friend, who was about ready to explode. She wasn't a very happy person right about then.

"What are you doing here?" Nammah shut the door and locked it before walking up to Jake, whose bottom half was still dangling outside the window. She put her finger over her mouth to signal that being quiet was important.

"I came looking for you," He shrugged, "why else would I be here? You know, you took it way too far this time."

Nammah eyes him, fuming. Her eyes narrowed and she glared, folding her arms across her chest.

Jake continued. "Let's just get this over with and go home already. Before my mom realizes I'm not at Will's house."

"_Allez__-__vous__-en_!" Nammah whispered in French, moving to push him back out of the window. He flinched.

"I'm not going anywhere, Nammah." Jake was serious now. "You really scared the crap out of me. I'm not leaving without you."

"That's very sweet," Nammah started, "but you're an idiot. Go home and leave me alone."

Nammah moved to leave, but Jake stopped her. "You can't keep this up forever, you know." Nammah gave him a look over her shoulder. She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh?" She wrinkled her nose and pointed at him. "Watch me."

"I swear I'm not leaving without you." Jake eyes, with matched Nammah's, stared fiercely. He meant it.

There was a sudden Tap-Tap on the door. Nammah already knew who it was. She shot Jake a death glare and ignored the door. Her eyes locked with Jake for a moment until the knocking came again.

"Oh," Jake said, smirking, "and I brought Will."

"You're unbelievable."

"He was going to come anyways."

And again came the knock. "Hold on!" Nammah screamed, irritated. The knocking stopped. "You've got nerve." She said, opening the door to meet Will, who stared blankly.

"Home." He said right away, pointing down the hallway. "Now."

"No." Nammah answered simply. Will continued to show no emotion, and instead grabbed her arm and began dragging her in the direction in witch he desired to go. "Ow, _Will_! Damnit."

Jake crawled the rest of the way through the window and followed after them, barely keeping up with Will's brisk pace.

"I won't go." Nammah managed to hold back and pushed Will away.

"Nammah!" Kairi and Sora came running up to them just then. "There you are!" Kairi stopped and froze when she was greeted with a couple of confused expressions. "Uh. Who's this?" Sora smiled awkwardly and listened, pretending like he had some kind of an idea as to what was going on.

"Yeah, um," Nammah rubbed her head, embarrassed, "meet Will and Jake. They're from home."

"Great," Sora huffed, "more stowaways."

"Oh, we're not here to get you in trouble," Jake gave Nammah an accusing look, "We just need to take our friend back."

"Great!" Pence showed up out of nowhere. "What took you so long to get here!?"

Nammah glared at him. "I really don't like you."

"I really don't care."

"Anyways," Jake tugged on Nammah's arm, but she wouldn't budge," we'll be going now. Sorry for any of the trouble Nammah caused. She likes trouble."

"Hold on!" Nammah complained. "We already voted!"

Will cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Sora laughed. "Yeah, that's the thing…" He took the next few minutes to explain in detail everything that had happened when Nammah had showed up. Will and Jake didn't seem too impressed. "Look, why don't you just stay the night at my house with Nammah – hidden, of course – and we'll figure everything out later." He looked at Nammah. "There's no point in forcing Nammah. She's not going to budge. Trust me, we tried."

Pence had already stormed down the hall. "Hey what's your problem?" Nammah shouted after him, but he didn't answer. She stuck her tongue out at the back of his head.

"I don't know…" Will thought about it while Jake continued to try and pull Nammah towards the stairs that would lead them to the ext.

"I think it's a good idea." Kairi said, trying to help Nammah out a little. If she had to say goodbye, she at least wanted to spend another few hours with her. Was it likely that they'd ever see each other again? How would Wakka and Tidus feel if their Blitz Ball partner suddenly disappeared?

"I guess we could-"

"Great!" Sora interrupted him when the bell rang. Will and Jake's heads shot up at the sudden noise, shocked.

"Everything's so loud here…" Jake said while rubbing his ears.

"Meet us in the Blitz Ball field after school," Kairi said, taking Nammah along with her. "We'll meet you there and catch a bus to Sora's house."

Jake shrugged. "Okay. I guess."

As soon as school was over, they met Will and Jake where they said they would, and made their way towards the first bus stop. Nammah stayed as far away from Will and Jake as possible, walking close to Kairi. Kairi started a conversation, and Nammah tried to talk like she wasn't nervous at all. All her hard work to get here and stay unnoticed… Her stupid friends had to come and ruin it all. Once again, she might as well just pack her bags and get it over with.

**000**

"Okay," Sora said, opening a door that had stairs leading down to a spacious (but cold) basement, "I've got a heater set up down there in case it gets to cold. Winter's really bad this year."

"We'll be fine." Jake said, following Sora, Kairi, Nammah, and Will downstairs. He had the small bag he packed with him and a sleeping bag that Sora loaned him.

"Well, I'll be right back," Sora said as soon as the light was on and all three French stowaways' were seated somewhat-comfortably and Kairi had perched herself on the bottom step of the stairs. "Do you guys want a soda or something?"

Will shook his head, full of shaggy, black hair, quietly. Jake shrugged his shoulders and nodded softly, staring at Namine as she smiled wide and nodded her head.

"Kairi?" he looked at his girlfriend, but she shook her head too.

"No thanks." With that, Sora was gone.

There was a long, awkward silence. Nammah broke it after a few minutes, curious. "So… I'm wondering how you knew where I was."

"We didn't." Jake laughed. "But we knew you'd be going somewhere tropical. You always do. We guessed a couple times and got lucky."

Will silently agreed.

"Nammah talks a lot about you guys," Kairi suddenly said randomly, changing the subject. "It's really cool to actually get to meet you. Sorry about earlier. I'm Kairi, and the boy with the gravity defying hair is Sora."

"Hmm." Jake hummed. Will continued to seem emotionless. "I'm Jake. That's Will. He's not emo, I promise."

Kairi giggled and Will glared, rolled his eyes, and flipped over on his back so he was lying on his sleeping bag with his hands folded over his stomach.

"Sorry, this is kinda weird to say, but your accents are _beautiful_." Kairi pointed out. She had to say it.

Jake flushed, and his face turned a few shades of red. "Uh. Thanks. I like your accent too."

Just then Sora appeared again with three sodas (one for himself, Jake, and Nammah) and a disposable camera. He set the soda's down and held the camera up in front of his face, pointing it towards the three sitting across from him. "I _need_ this picture." Sora laughed. "Do you mind? Nobody's ever going to believe me five years from now if I don't have proof."

Kairi moved to be in the picture with Nammah, and Jake moved next to Nammah (and so did will) and gave the camera a half smile when it flashed. Will was still blank, and moved back to his spot as soon as it was over.

"Great, thanks." Sora put the camera away and handed out the sodas. He sat next to Kairi on the bottom step of the stairs and sipped slowly, listening as Kairi, Jake, and Nammah launched themselves into deep conversation. Nammah repeatedly brought up travel and all the places she wished she could go, Kairi did the same, Jake smiled and nodded, and Will just stared.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Sora asked, the question directed at Will. Will's coal-colored eyes met his, and he shrugged weakly.

"He can't speak too much English," Nammah informed. "He's not fluent like Jake and I. Our parents are best friends, and lived half their lives in America, passing it on to us. But Will's 100 percent French. He learned a little from us, Jake and I, and that's about it."

"Oh," Sora laughed at himself. Of course.

"I should go home now," Kairi looked over at Sora. He nodded. "I have that test to study for."

"I'll take you home."

Kairi smiled. "Okay." She looked over at Nammah then. "I'll see you later."

"Hopefully."

Jake and Will gave her a look. Kairi sighed and left with Sora.

"You don't really plan on staying here, do you?" Jake asked.

"What's so bad about that?" Nammah asked, leaning against the wall.

"A lot." Will looked up. He was still blank, but obviously serious. They were going to stop at nothing.

"Name something." Nammah narrowed her eyes.

"You'll get all your new friends in trouble." Jake stated the truth, and Nammah felt a twinge of guilt, but not enough to give in.

"That's not fair!" She half shrieked, and Will hushed her. "It's not fair…"

"Your mom's really worried."

"Oh please," Nammah shook her head, "she's always worried."

"It's not safe to stay here." Jake huffed. "You're risking everything."

"You're afraid of everything, aren't you?" Nammah snapped. "I'm happy here. You're taking me home just because it's not _safe_? Bull crap."

Jake was taken back. His face fell and he leaned away from her a little. He looked down at his hands and made a face, like he was just slapped in the face.

Nammah swallowed. "Wow. I'm sorry." Will shook his head at her, very slowly. He seemed annoyed with her.

"No, that's okay. You're right." Jake shrugged, and put on a fake smile. "Will and I just care. Just… Please come home."

"I won't." Nammah was angry again. Will rolled his eyes and turned his back towards them and covered himself up in the sleeping bag. He closed his eyes in an attempt at sleep, even though it was probably only about 8:00 pm.

Jake sighed and kept silent. He'd just have to wait and hope she'd come around, for now. She was being stupid and she knew it.

**000**

"S-s-s-s-s-o c-c-cold." Roxas whined, holding his coat tighter against his freezing body.

Kim rolled her eyes and continued to follow all the other students through the snow. The teachers who volunteered to come were taking them on a 'hike' through the freezing cold as an 'educational adventure.'

"Look, a penguin!" One of the students in the front shouted, and the startled penguin looked up with beaty little eyes from where it was standing a few yards away. As soon as it spotted the small crowd, it started wobbling away in the opposite direction as fast as its little legs could carry it.

"Look, you scared it." Another student complained, putting his camera away in frustration. One of the teachers started going on about penguins then, enlightening the students who were interested, which was everyone but Roxas and Kim.

"I feel bad for the penguins." Roxas told, catching Kim's attention. "They have to live here. We get to go home in a week."

"The penguins don't care." Kim shook her head at him.

"How do you know that?" Roxas raised his eyebrows.

Kim ignored him. Instead of wasting her time fighting with Roxas about Penguins, she kneeled down and grabbed a handful of snow.

"What're you doing?" Roxas asked. "It's to cold to do that."

"You're a loser." Kim snickered. "It's not _that _cold."

"Says the girl who's wearing two sweaters and a coat."

The group of students began walking again while Kim and Roxas were distracted.

Kim looked up at him and glared. "You're probably wearing twenty shirts."

"True." Roxas shrugged, chuckling lightly. Kim stood then, both hands full of snow. Roxas eyes her, somewhat scared. "If you hit me with that…"

"What?" Kim asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She smirked at him, daring him to continue. To say something that would give her a reason to smother him with the snow. To make his life a freezing hell.

"This!" Roxas shouted suddenly, kicking up a bunch of snow before making a break for it. The snow flew and hit Kim all-over, ruining her easy mood.

"_Roxas_!" She thundered, chasing after him.

_**I want someone provocative and talkative**__****_

_**But it's so hard when you're shallow as a shower**__****_

_**And from what I've heard with skin you'll win**_

**000**

Namine couldn't get to sleep. She couldn't explain why. She just couldn't.

She lay in bed, wide awake. Staring at the ceiling, which she could hardly see due to the lack of light, she thought of several ways to force herself into sleeping. She tried to clear her mind and keep her eyes shut, but an hour had passed and she still wasn't sleeping. She thought about getting up and taking a sleeping pill, and then remembered Riku didn't have any. She remembered how reading sometimes gave her a headache, so she grabbed flashlight and a book and read for a half hour until she gave up. Nothing was working.

She turned on her side, now facing Riku's back. He'd had better luck getting to sleep than she did. She almost felt back when she reached for his shoulder and shook it lightly. He breathed in loudly before he stilled again, like he was going to fall back asleep.

Namine leaned up against him, kissing down the length of his jaw lightly. "Riku…" She whispered a couple times until he responded with a 'Hn.' He turned so he was lying on his back now, and was just barely opening his eyes. Namine's light kisses moved down to his neck and she laughed lightly as Riku sighed, his lips curving into a silent smile. He obviously didn't mind being woken up.

"Riku…" Namine repeated, resting her head next to Riku's when his arm wrapped itself around her waist. She smiled against the skin of his neck, still close enough to do so. She brushed his silver hair out of the way gently.

"Mmm?" He hummed, leaning his head against hers. He turned over again so his body was facing hers.

"I can't fall asleep." She whispered, finding his mint eyes through the dark. Her hand found it's way to Riku's cheek.

"I noticed." He chuckled. He reached up with his free hand and grabbed hers, caressing her fingers with his thumb.

"Help me out." Namine giggled. Riku thought about it for a moment.

"Let's get out of here."

"How's that supposed to help?"

"It's not."

Namine half-smiled. There wasn't really anything else to do. They didn't have school tomorrow. Why not? "Okay."

**000**

They'd walked just a few blocks to the beach, which was hardly visible. The moon seemed dull tonight, but stunningly gorgeous somehow. The ocean sparkled lightly, hardly moving at all. Everything was so… Still. Namine didn't get it.

Riku let go of her hand and walked in front of her, into the cold, white sand. He walked backwards, facing her. "Come on." He smiled a tired smile. For some reason, Namine found it irresistible. His hair, lacking color tonight, blended in with the sea in the background.

"I don't know." Namine stood her ground, on the sidewalk before the beach. She stared at her toes, visible through her sandals. Her feet were freezing, but thankfully, there was hardly any snow at all. It melted fast. She smiled at the thought of spring.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Riku laughed, turning his back on her and proceeding slowly down the beach. "More fun for me." His voice was like velvet, coaxing her. _Go home, I dare you. _

Namine smiled wide. She took off on her feet, past Riku, shaking off her shoes as she went. The cold sand made her shiver, but she tried to ignore it. Riku laughed loud, running after her. So used to running and running, he ran right into her when she stopped right before the ocean. He wrapped his arms around her tight as they tumbled to the ground, right into the shallow water, an inch or two deep.

Namine let out a sigh when Riku landed on her, full of laughter. "_Ouch_."

Riku was laughing so hard he was almost to the point of tears. He used one of his arms to support his body while he hovered over Namine, his hand resting right next to her head, while his other held his stomach. "Sorry."

The freezing water chilled Namine, making her somewhat miserable. She didn't like winter so much anymore. "I'm going to die of hypothermia."

Riku grabbed her then, and flipped over so they switched positions. Not Riku was ear-deep in the ocean. "Better?"

"Not really." Namine said, but couldn't help but giggle. This was too cheesy.

"Consider yourself lucky – Roxas is in Alaska. With Kim." Riku made a face. He couldn't possibly imagine how miserable Roxas must be.

"What time do you think it is over there?"

Riku shrugged. He brushed some of Namine's wet hair that stuck to her face out of the way and behind her ear. His fingertips gently brushed the skin of her ear, and he could feel how surprisingly warm she actually was. "I wonder if your lips are as warm as your face is." He said out loud, grinning.

Namine made a face and smacked his hand away playfully. He just laughed at her, bringing his hand back up to hold her cheek, which burned under his touch. Namine rolled her eyes, trying to pretend like she was unaware of the shade of red that she was turning. She could feel it. She felt Riku's other hand on her opposite cheek now, and he just stared at her.

"Jeez, do you have a fever or something?" His hands held her face still. Her blue eyes closed-halfway, and she shook a little like she was saying No. Riku loved the way Namine smiled – like she was trying not to but it was inevitable.

"You're wasting my time."

Riku stifled another laugh and closed the distance between their faces – their lips. The kiss was gentle, at first. Namine tilted her head further just as his touch became more passionate, his lips pressing harder against hers as they moved together like the ocean around them. The cold suddenly didn't matter anymore, although Namine could've lived without the chilly breeze.

"I was right." Riku smirked against her mouth, pushing her hair back out of the way. Her lips were very much warm – he liked it. A lot.

"Shut up." Namine laughed, pulling away and leaning against him, laughing into his neck and the hair that fell over it.

"Well I was."

"Shut-up." Namine repeated, clutching his wet shirt that stuck to his toned chest. He wrapped his arms around her again, hoping to steal some of the heat that radiated from her body. His lips were freezing again.

"Do you want to go home now?"

"Mmmhmm." Namine hummed, relaxing against him. She was in no rush, but it was probably for the best.

"Okay." Riku sounded disappointed.

Namine lifted herself off of him and he helped the both of them to their feet, never letting go of her hand as they walked back towards where they came. He laced his fingers with hers. Namine wore his coat, and as soon as they got home she was wrapped up in a towel and a dry pair of pants. As soon as she was dry enough, she crawled back in bed next to Riku, still not feeling tired at all but somehow able to sleep. Riku's arms found their way around her again, softly, and he whispered in her ear with a sweetness that made Namine blush again. "I love you," he said, nuzzling his head in her hair. And then he was fast asleep, his breath tickling the back of Namine's neck. She sighed peacefully. There was no point in saying it back – he already knew.

_**Her bone structure screams**__****_

_**"Touch her! Touch her!"**__****_

_**And she's got the curse of curves**__****_

_**So with the combination of my gift with one **__**liners**__****_

_**And my way**__****_

_**My way with words**_

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N:** I don't know why I decided to use that song. I just like it for some reason. (BTW, to get the name of the artist and the song, or even listen to the song, go to the fan site. Link's on my profile page).

Oh, and please excuse me if I get Nammah and Namine's names mixed up. I'm trying my best not to.

**_Awards._**

_Top Reviewer: **Phoenix Helix!!!**_

_2nd place:** The Darkside Incarnate!!**_

_3rd place: **XFireFistAceX**_

**_You Think…?_**

The story's nearing it's end (probably around 10-15 chapters into the future – maybe). Before AS3, or even **in** the third story, is there anything you'd like to see happen? Tell me! There's no limit – give me as many ideas as you like. Just make sure they're not too big.

**_Bored?_**

If you're bored, I've got another story going for Riku/Namine called **Summer Boys. **You don't have to review (but I'd like it) and I think you'd like it. Full of drama and romance. :D (wow, I'm always trying to get you guys to read that. Haha.)

_Coffee Ice cream Is yummy :)- Cracker-Jacks000 (shut-up)_


	63. Absolutely Brilliant

**A/N: **Hey. I updated.

**Disclaimer: **Noooooo, no, no, no, no, no. Got it? Good.

**CHAPTER 63**

Nammah had been fighting with Jake for about an hour straight now on whether or not she was going back to Paris. Sora, Riku, Wakka, and Tidus watched them while Will, somehow, continued to sleep in the dark corner of the basement. It was about 11:00 am, and Sora's mom had left for work hours ago. Only God knows where his father went. Nammah and Jake took the opportunity to scream at each other. Quite loudly.

"For the last time_: I. __AM__. NOT. __**GOING**_" Nammah clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. They were both in each others faces, and you could swear you saw lighting go off behind them.

"I'll _drag_ you if I have to!" Jake copied Nammah and wrinkled his nose. He'd never been so mad at his best friend. She was being ridiculous!

"I'll bite your hands off if you do!" Nammah threatened, her face turning redder and redder as the minutes passed.

Jake sighed, giving up for the moment. He took a seat and leaned his head back, exhausted. His lungs hurt. His face hurt. Everything hurt. How Will was able to convince her to come home every time she ran away (which was almost weekly) Jake had no idea. It was like he had a gift or something. He was half temped to wake Will up, but quickly shook his head at himself.

"Nammah…" Sora sighed, tired of listening to all the yelling. "At least think it over. Jake's kinda right. If you stay here, you'll get caught eventually. The police aren't idiots."

Nammah turned to him, furious. "Bite me!" Nammah huffed. As if she'd listen to some _American_. Bah.

"Be realistic." Riku said just then, and Nammah froze. She had no idea that Mr. Gorgeous had shown up. His soft voice echoed in her ears, and she completely forgot who she was for a moment.

Jake clapped his hands together. "Earth to Nammah!"

Nammah shook her head. This wasn't the time for drooling.

"Seriously," Riku continued, "you're kind of in the middle of a lose – lose situation. Why not just go home and get it over with?"

Nammah sat down next to Jake, who looked like he was about to pass out, and seriously thought about it for a moment. She had to admit – everyone but her was making sense. But she didn't want to give her new home. Destiny Islands was almost everything she'd hoped for. And she'd made friends so quickly…

"You brought this upon yourself." Jake mumbled, eyes shut.

"Shut-up, Jake." Nammah glared at him. She knew that he only cared – but she didn't feel like being friendly towards him at this moment. From the very beginning when she saw him hanging from that window – he could've been a little less pushy. Nammah found it a lot easier to do things when she wasn't _forced_.

Will started to move then, and slowly sat up. He ruffled his black hair and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before examining the room – and who was in it. He didn't look so amused. He wanted to go home. Just by the looks on everyone's faces he already knew what was going on. This was never going to end, was it?

He moved his head towards Nammah, is dark eyes narrowed. "Nammah." He said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. She ignored him, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. He stood up, and Wakka and Tidus suddenly took in his height. He was about as tall as Riku's brother (who was maybe only an inch or two taller than Riku was – and that's really something). About 6,3".

Will motioned towards the hallway, making it clear that he wanted Nammah and only Nammah to follow. She didn't argue with him – and followed slowly. The boys listened closely as Will began talking to Nammah in French. He talked slowly, or it seemed that way. Everyone left in the room but Jake was confused.

"What are they talking about?" Wakka asked, balancing his favorite Blitz Ball on the tip of his finger.

"He's talking sense into her," Jake said, irritated. Will was good at talking sense into people. No matter how much Jake tried, he'd never, _ever _be able to calm Nammah down like Will could. He hated it. "They're making a deal."

"About what?" they asked, but before Jake could open his mouth, Nammah and Will were back in the room again. Will stood by the door, and Nammah sat back down where she was before. She didn't look happy – but definitely looked calmer. Like she and Jake hadn't fought at all.

"One week." Will held up a finger, staring directly at Nammah. She forced herself to nod, although she didn't want to. He was being reasonable, of course, but she still didn't enjoy the thought of going home.

Sora stared at Nammah quizzically. "I get to stay another week, and then I have to go home." Nammah explained. "One more week to do as much as I possibly can and then I'm gone."

Riku shrugged. It wasn't such a bad idea. "Well, I'm going home now." Riku said, standing up and brushing off the dust that had collected on his pants. Sora's basement was covered in it. "Namine's probably going to wake up soon."

"I'll see ya later." Sora waved, and Riku disappeared through the door. Nammah waved too; sighing like she was disappointed. Jake saw her expression and made a face, like he was mad or jealous or something. Jake felt like someone was watching him stare and shifted his attention, to see it was Will. Will lifted an eyebrow and Jake shook his head at him, as if to say '_Shut-up._' Will almost laughed.

The room stayed quiet, and eventually Wakka and Tidus said their goodbyes and left, after scheduling another Blitz Ball game with Nammah tomorrow around noon. That made her smile a little, at least. She'd started to really like that game.

Will and Jake left a while later to check out the town. Jake had tried to get Nammah to come, but she refused. Just as the two were walking out the front door, Sora's phone started to ring. He answered it, smiling brightly as soon as he realized who was on the other line: Kairi.

"I have a cell phone, you know. My home phone doesn't have caller ID." Sora informed, sitting at the dining room table while Nammah started at the Television Screen in the next room.

"You're cell phone is turned off." Kairi giggled.

"Oh. Right." Sora dug through his pocket for his cell phone before realizing he left it downstairs in the basement. He shrugged; he could just turn it on later.

Suddenly noise began blasting from the TV where Nammah was at an extreme level. It was turned up to high, almost to the max, to where Sora could hardly hear himself think. He shot up, almost flying to the living room (where Nammah was curled up on the couch with her hands over her ears) to see what was going on.

"Make it stop!" Nammah screamed.

Sora quickly took the remote and put the TV on mute, still holding the phone to his ear. It was silent for a long time. "What did you _do_?"

"I don't know!" Nammah cried, still covering her ears.

"Kairi, are you still there?" Sora asked, lifting the phone away from his face when no reply came. He realized he'd accidentally pressed the off button with his cheek. "Damn it." He mumbled, dialing his phone number. Kairi picked up, and Sora apologized, and began explaining what happened, although Kairi really didn't care. She was curious though what was with the Noise before Sora accidentally hung up.

"Nammah's still there?" Kairi asked, excited.

"Uh, yeah. Want to come over? She'll be thrilled. She hasn't said a word for hours." Sora said, peaking back into the living room from the dining room – staring at the back of Nammah's head.

"Where are her friends?" Kairi asked, sounding confused.

"In town. They made a deal – they'll be here another week. Nammah's leaving next Saturday." Sora explained.

"Oh. Okay." Kairi tried not to sound disappointed. "I'll be over there in a half hour."

"Want me to come pick you up?" Sora asked.

"No, I'm fine." Kairi giggled again. "I'll see you soon." With that said, she hung up the phone.

Sora put his phone back up on the hook and sat down for a minute, until Nammah called his name. He walked into the living room, watching Nammah mess around with all the buttons on the remote.

"I can't hear it now!" She complained, and Sora took the TV off mute, and lowered the volume to a safe level that wouldn't blast their ears off.

**000**

"We're lost." Kim stated simply, sitting down the snow. Her anger could've melted the snow.

"You were having fun just a second ago." Roxas sat down next to her, leaning back on the palms of his hands.

"No I wasn't."

"Yes. You were."

Kim didn't reply. Kim was half tempted to find a big rock and beat Roxas over the head with it. Roxas seemed to know how she felt, and scooted away about a foot.

"What do we do now?" Roxas asked after a long silence.

"Wait."

"Wait? We'll freeze to death!" Roxas stood up again, holding his arms out for emphasis. Kim glared at him, shaking her head slowly. "We could just follow our footsteps back."

"They're covered up with more snow by now." Kim held up one of her hands to point out that the snow was still falling. Was it ever not?

"Well, I'm not going to just _wait._ That's suicide." Roxas was serious, for once in his life. He could admit that Kim was a lot smarter than he probably was, but waiting just wasn't an option. At least, they need to find someplace dry.

"Okay. I'll see you later than. Enjoy getting even more lost than we already are." Kim hardly gave any emotion when she spoke, other than irritation. She looked away from him, lips pursed, eyes narrowed down at the snow. Roxas sighed.

"You _know_ I'm not leaving without you." Roxas held out a hand for her, but she ignored it. "Come on, please?" He tried to sound sincere, rather than annoyed.

"Alright," Kim let out a deep breath. "I give up." Still ignoring his hand, she stood up by herself. Never the less, Roxas grinned. She listened to him.

**000**

Roxas's good mood was gone within ten minutes. Kim wasn't happy in the first place. All you could see anywhere was snow. A lot of snow. Roxas was beginning to hate it.

"You're brilliant." Kim smiled at him sarcastically, and then glared.

Roxas stuffed his hands in his pockets, ignoring her.

"You should win an award for this one," Kim continued, amusing herself. Did she enjoy making fun of him? The scenery wasn't much different from where they started.

"You're not being fair," he gave her a look, and she almost laughed.

"Sorry," she said, but Roxas knew that she obviously didn't mean it.

They continued walking, but slowly. It wasn't easy trudging through all of this snow. Roxas thought about the penguins again. He heard Kim mumble something to herself, and Roxas suddenly smiled. This actually wasn't all that bad. Despite how he acted and what he said; he honestly didn't mind the snow all that much. He was warm enough under all the layers of clothing he was wearing, and it wasn't like they were caught in a snow storm. Another thing was that they were far enough away from home, and everyone else, that he didn't have to worry about giving away his relationship with Kim. He looked at Kim through the corner of his eye, and she looked the same, except her hands weren't folded across her chest.

He didn't waste time hesitating when he reached for her hand. Kim didn't resist, in fact, she actually smiled at little to herself, turning her head slightly away. Roxas still caught it, and held back a laugh.

He held her hand firmly as the time passed silently while they looked for any sign of human life.

**000**

"I tried," Nammah sighed when Kairi sat next to her on the couch. "I tried to convince them to let me stay." Sora, in secret, rolled his eyes.

"Promise you'll visit again when your mom lets you off the hook." Kairi smiled, hoping Nammah would cheer up. There was a part of Kairi that was relieved that Nammah was leaving, but only because she cared. It still sucked that there was little chance she'd _actually_ see Nammah ever again after the week was over.

"I will," Nammah leaned back into the couch, looking thoughtful, "I really like it here."

Kairi just nodded, and looked over her shoulder at Sora, who shrugged and gave her a half-smile, which was actually pretty cute. Kairi tried not to laugh.

"Hey," Nammah started again, just remembering something, "when's that mean guy coming back, anyway? What's his face?"

"Who?" Kairi asked, a little confused. And then she remembered. "Oh, Roxas?"

"Yeah, whatever." Nammah shrugged.

"He'll be back right about the time you leave."

Nammah almost smiled. "That's good, at least. I don't like him."

Kairi shook her head. "He's a nice guy – really. He's just… You know."

Nammah didn't say anything.

"You look like you need some ice cream," another voice suddenly said from behind them. Kairi brought along a friend. Selphie, to be specific.

Now, Nammah smiled. Wide. "Who's paying?" She asked, turning to look at her.

Selphie pointed at herself. "Who else?"

Nammah already felt better.

_**To Be Continued **_

**A/N: **I know, I know. It was short. But hey, I updated on time! WHOO!

**_No awards this time – didn't get reviews fast enough._**

Guess what? I've had the whole week off. It's been a never-ending snow day. It's snowing so much here in Washington – it's really bad. The snow's getting really deep and icy (if I laid down in the snow – I'm be totally covered up. And it comes above mu knees in some places). Yikes.

I already can't wait for summer – Cracker-Jacks000


	64. Suit Yourself

**A/N: **Okay, so, I joined Tennis. But saying 'I'm too busy' shouldn't be an excuse any more. I promised (I know, I remembered). What I've really been joining is story mapping the lest chapters of this story. I didn't want to keep writing till it was done (just in case I make a change), but long enough is long enough. Time to update.

Oh, and I swear, you'll never have to wait more than a week for the Another Story 3 updates (If I _do_ write an Another Story 3, but I probably will) because I won't be posting it till the end of July, so I have plenty of time to get ahead. Way ahead.

Okay, I'm done blabbing. Enjoy the chapter! I hope it's worth such a long wait.

**Disclaimer: **_Oh please. _

**CHAPTER 64**

Kim and Roxas ended up lying down in the snow again, exhausted. They'd decided to take a break after several hours when hope started to fade. The twilight was gorgeous, the moon was big, and their hands were still held together, but still, a decent mood found a way to avoid even Roxas. Scowling, he buried half his body in the white fluff and huffed for the millionth time.

Kim was far past the huffing stage of anger. She didn't talk, didn't make any noise what-so-ever. All she did was sit there, steaming in the inferno of her fury. There would be no sleep tonight. That was for sure. Roxas began to take on the seriousness of their situation and fought back the intense panic. Only God knows what was going though _Kim's_ mind at this moment. Roxas tried not to think about it.

Roxas wanted to say something, but was afraid of what Kim might do. Scream, attack, simply get up and leave him there to die in the freezing bitterness an endless winter. He pictured her in his head, being too afraid to look. He imagined the snow melting around the frame of her gorgeous, powerful body. He envisioned her silver eyes searing, and swallowed hard.

It all started off so innocent. A snow ball fight, the unknown advancing of the group, and now here they were. Freezing, tired, and for lack of a better word, angry.

As total darkness closed in on them, and the stars shined, and the moon shone high in the sky, Roxas mustered up enough courage to verbalize. "Okay, so-" As expected, he was cut short. Immediately. Kim ripped her gloved hand from his grip and whipped it towards him, covering his mouth. That was the only part of her body that made any movement.

Only until Kim was sure that he shouldn't speak again did she lower her hand. Roxas wasn't surprised by her reaction to him talking, but was taken back a bit that she grasped his hand again. He stiffened and tightened his grip a little too firmly, tense for a moment or two. Kim turned her head to stare at the side of his face, her expression bored with dull curiosity. Roxas, still stiff, couldn't move his face to meet her gaze. He felt weird all of a sudden; but not because of Kim. This bizarre edginess took over him. The same way one would feel when scared for their life, only Roxas wasn't scared. Not enough, anyway.

Kim continued to stare, her face taking on more interest. As she watched him, he became more and more apprehensive and uptight. Suddenly, it was like he couldn't breathe. His breath caught in his throat, came back, and was gone again. Just when weird noises began escaping his mouth with minds of their own, Kim got worried. She sat up, pushing back the hair out of her face to look a him. "Roxas?" she asked, but her voice was a blur to him. Slowly he lost all his senses, starting with feeling. He couldn't feel his arms, his legs, Kim's hand… And then he could hardly hear anything, his name being called over and over. Kim was panicked, and shook him violently but he just groaned and then his sense of smell was next to leave him (so on and so fourth).

Finally, to Roxas's terror, everything just went black. Completely and totally black. And then it didn't matter anymore; consciousness left him instantly.

Kim looked about her frantically. All she could see was a vast and endless blanket of white. She focused hard on Roxas's face, noting that he was still breathing.

That was a good sign.

She gave up on screaming at him and stood up, facing a different direction than the way they were going, and held firmly onto his arms. She was already exhausted, so dragging was all she was capable of at the moment. It might've helped if Roxas wasn't wearing five extra pounds of clothing. Kim felt horrified for Roxas's life, but oddly able to think rationally. She had to get him someplace dry, before he completely froze. Before _she_ froze with him. That was all she could do.

A penguin waddled by them after Kim had successfully dragged Roxas twenty yards. It looked curious, but kept a distance, which was smart. It was good to stay at least fifteen feet away from Kim when she looked like she was about to explode. The land started to curve upward a little bit, making it tougher and tougher. Kim wasn't about to give up; she'd keep going until her legs gave out. Her own life meant little to her right now.

The penguin, used to the humans' presence and more curious than ever, waddled close to Roxas's feet. He examined the deep line through the snow that Roxas's boots left, bewildered. Kim rolled her eyes and fixed her grasp on Roxas's arms, pulling harder and the land rose higher. Now the penguin found interest in Roxas's feet as he struggled to keep up with them. Waddling faster, he put his face up to the boots real close, like he was about to take a bite out of them.

"Don't you _dare._" Kim's voice was low and menacing, and the Penguin looked up at her, terrified by the sudden sound escaping her mouth. He stopped for a moment, and then waddled right past them as Kim began to slow down. The penguin disappeared and Kim heaved a sigh, her muscles aching. This was never going to end. They were just going to go up and up and up until she passed out as well. "You're going to get it when you wake up," she growled at the unconscious Roxas, who didn't budge. He was in one heak of a deep sleep.

Suddenly, Kim lost control of her feet. Instead of slipping forward, like most people's feet did when they fell over, they went in the opposite direction. She was now lying face to face with Roxas, her feet hanging off whatever-it-was behind her. She made a face and looked back, scrunching her nose. Her expression took on immediate shock. They were at the top of a hill with a steep drop right where Kim's feet were hanging. Kim shuttered at the thought of what might've happened if she'd just continued not to pay attention and walk right off. She left Roxas on the ground and stood, peering out into the distance. More snow and hills. That was it.

Kim sighed, and sat down, letting her legs hang off the edge. She wanted to scream, but what good would that do?

She looked down, expecting nothing, and saw a ledge that reached out from the wall of the hill. It wasn't very big, and it was a long ways down, but she could see the shadow of something _inside _the hill. A dirty, wet, obviously vacant cave. Perfect.

**000**

Namine knew that she should be afraid. Very afraid.

Selphie was throwing her 18th birthday party.

She sat still in her seat, struck with terror. Riku had hung up the phone, turned to her, and raised his eyebrows at the expression occupying her features. He almost laughed, but took a seat across from her instead. Namine hung her head, staring at the surface of the dining table, unable to think straight. This would be a disaster.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, resting his folded arms on the shiny wood and leaning towards her. He tilted his head slightly, genuinely worried, but amused all the same.

Namine narrowed her eyes. "No." She mumbled sourly. _Of course_ she wasn't okay. She suddenly felt the urge to hit something. _Hard_. The thought of all the… embarrassing stuff Selphie might put into it horrified her. Or that maybe she'd show up to a food filled with artery clogging food instead of a party at all.

"Well that's too bad," Riku actually snickered, and Namine glared at him.

"What's so _funny_, Riku?" Namine was boiling. "Do you think this is _funny_?"

Riku held up two of his fingers, positioning them like he was pinching something very small. "Just a little."

Namine wasn't going to take this crap. She stood, huffed, and left the room. Very childish, but she was serious. Her 18th birthday was ruined, She was miserable, and Riku was laughing at her. "Funny my ass." She muttered under her breath and marched down the stairs. As she made it into the hallway, where Riku's room would be on the very end, Riku caught up with her. He reached for her shoulders and stopped her.

"Hey," he was still laughing. Unbelievable. "Don't be upset."

"Let go," Namine groaned.

"Come on," His laugh never ceased to made her melt inside. No matter what mood she might've been in. "You're acting three years old."

"Than I must be one pissed three year old, right?" Namine folded her arms, though she knew Riku had a point. Maybe it wasn't so much her birthday that she was mad about, but her dysfunctional family. Brittany had completely taken over James's life, and now the house next to Riku's in empty. They'd moved across town, and she hadn't seen her dad since. She was mad, but yet, relieved. She'd have to tell them about her engagement sooner or later. Riku preferred sooner, Namine wanted later. And then there was Blake, who had yet to soften up to Riku. His over-protectiveness drove her insane.

Riku stared at her, and then she sighed.

"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling Riku's hands gently off her shoulders and holding onto them. "I guess I'm just a little stressed."

"You wanna skip school again tomorrow? I was thinking of going out to-"

"No." Namine stopped him. "That would _not _be good. I don't think I'd enjoy repeating 11th grade."

"I figured as much," Riku laughed, and squeezed her hands. "You have a big test in science tomorrow, don't you?" He asked, and Namine started to walk backwards towards the room, leading Riku slowly.

She groaned. "Thanks for reminding me. I should study."

"Right now?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. Namine laughed, and almost smacked him. She reached behind her and opened the door, letting go of one of his hands but quickly returning it once the door was open enough for them to squeeze through.

"Yes, right now. It's six pm." Namine said, forgetting that the door was still wide open when they stopped in the middle of the small room. Riku made no effort to reach back and close it. Instead, he nuzzled his head into her neck.

"I shouldn't have reminded you." His warm breath against her neck coaxed her, but she wouldn't give in. Not yet. His hands let go of hers and wrapped around her waist, holding her body against his. As usual, they fit perfectly together. Like a puzzle.

Namine sighed, tracing circled on his back with the tips of her fingers. "Yeah, well…"

"Well what?" He looked up on her, the smirk on his face irresistible. His silver hair fell so perfectly over his head, his eyes showing brightly through the dim light in the room.

Namine felt bad, and flicked his nose. He flinched back, shocked, but amused. "Well," she whispered, giving him that _too-bad-for-you _face with her lips all pursed, "you should let me go. The faster I get done…"

Riku's arms were already untangled from her waist. He watched her sit down at the desk with her books, and she looked up at him one more time before getting to business. He stood by the door for a moment and then left her to study. He headed for the kitchen and ran into the cat along the way. He picked him up and ironically, the phone began to ring. Riku knew who it was. Kyle was the only one that called him from the house rather than his cell phone.

With the cat in his arms, he picked up the phone. "Hey Kyle."

The cat meowed at the name. Suddenly anxious, he jumped free from Riku's grip and jumped to the table, reaching out for the phone in Riku's hand when Riku sat down next to him.

"How's my cat?" He asked, obviously able to hear the constant meows. The next meow was long and drawn out.

"Jynx knows you're on the other line. He's freaking out." He said, holding the phone up to the cat for a moment, which pawed it frantically.

"Yeah." Kyle thought for a moment, and then resumed talking. "I was thinking I'd come get him and take him home with me."

"Namine would love that," Riku said, leaning against the table.

"I shutter at the thought of that woman being in the same house as my cat. She's great and all, but I don't know… She's made it clear that she dislikes animals."

"That reminds me," Riku started again, "Her birthday's On Friday. You should stop by then to get your cat."

"Okay." Kyle sounded distant then. "See you later, little brother."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Bye." And then he hung up the phone.

**000**

It wasn't an easy task getting down to the cake. Especially with Roxas _on her shoulders_. His Blitz-Ball-Fit body weighed her down enormously, and she was about ready to collapse from 24 hours without sleep. The odds weren't in her favor. But still, she reached the cave successfully. Thank the God almighty.

As soon as she was standing on the flat ground in the cave, she threw Roxas to the rocky ground and sat down, leaning against the wall. She breathed heavily, glaring at Roxas all the while. She knew that it wasn't entirely his fault, but she couldn't help but blame him.

With one last movement, she lay down and used her crossed arms as a pillow, quickly drifting off to sleep.

**000**

Selphie decided that it was only polite to throw the party at her house. Her _enormous _house. Despite how long she'd known Namine, for some reason she couldn't figure out, she hadn't visited yet. This would be perfect.

She hung decorations now, since Namine's birthday was tomorrow. It was about eight at night, and she hadn't stop moving since she'd woken up. She'd dragged Tidus to her house to help her out, and even he noticed an increase of her hyperness. He worked on invitations that Selphie would hand out at school tomorrow, scribbling barely legible letters on the think cards.

Selphie hardly took time to notice him as she danced about the room, throwing confetti here and there. Oh, what a party this would be! She could see it now; her living room packed with people dancing to her brand new CD's, the gigantic cake that would sit in the center of her dining table, the look of gratification and shock on Namine's face. Selphie could hardly contain herself.

"Quit stomping around the house!" Tidus yelled from the next room over. "You're giving me a headache!"

"I'm not _stomping_," Selphie huffed, walking through the door to see him, "I'm _dancing._"

"That too." Tidus mumbled, finishing the 50th card.

Selphie sauntered over to him and leaned over his shoulder to get a good look at Tidus's hard work. She was immediately appalled. "Tidus!" she smacked him. _Hard_.

He flinched, looking up at her while partly shielding himself. Just in case she tried that again. "What?!"

She pointed at the cards, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. She could almost feel the anger bubbling up in her chest. Good mood ruined.

Tidus followed Selphie's finger to his handwriting. He thought for a moment, and then looked back up at her. "What?" he asked again.

Frustrated, Selphie ignored him and stomped out of the room. Tidus flinched again at the sound of her feet hitting the ground so hard. Didn't she listen to him at all? "Headache." He reminded her. She continued to ignore him.

**000**

Kim must've been sleeping for hours. She woke up to exactly what she fell asleep to. Rubbing her eyes, she stared hard into the night, like she couldn't quite figure something out. And then the situation returned to her, and she groaned out loud. Still lost.

What's more, Roxas was missing.

Kim jumped to her feet, filled with new energy. She felt strong again. Able to walk.

She turned her head to the back of the small cave, but it was empty and barely lit by the moon's light anyways. She half-ran out onto the ledge and there was the reason for her fury, sitting right there with his feet hanging off the edge. He seemed absorbed in the scenery and didn't hear her coming. The look on his face was distant; thoughtful.

Deciding that no good would come from smacking him upside the head, Kim sat down next to Roxas instead. He turned his head to her, alarmed and shocked at first but relieved when he saw it was just her. He almost smiled. "Good morning." He said, and then quickly corrected himself as he looked up at the blackish sky. "I mean good night."

Kim snickered. He must've thought he was some kind of funny.

There was silence afterwards and they both peered into the distance. The glittering stars, shining in their untouched beauty, seemed more peaceful than the two ruffled, bruised, and freezing teenagers sitting below them would ever be. Still, somehow, Roxas at least managed to gather up some content. His smile was small but still obvious as he leaned back on his hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, not having to look to know that she was suffering.

There was a long silence, but Kim found her voice and eventually answered. Surprisingly, she was honest. "I'm scared." She admitted, ashamed. She'd never felt so weak and powerless in her entire life. She was getting closer and closer to the point of giving up.

Roxas didn't know what to say. Taken back by her reply, he had to take a minute to think. He hadn't seen this side of Kim before. Not even when Fa'an was in the picture. He opened his mouth and was about to say something, only to be interrupted.

"What are we going to do?" Kim asked. "I'm tired, hungry, and helpless. It's been what, a day and a half since we've been gone? Shouldn't they have found us by now?"

"I have a granola bar in my bag, if you want it." He suggested, trying to lighten things up. Kim wasn't taking it.

She smacked his arm. "Be serious!"

"I am 100 percent serious."

Giving up, Kim leaned away from him and sighed. "I don't want your stupid granola bar." She mumbled harshly, the same old Kim.

"You said you were hungry." Roxas shrugged, getting to his feet. He disappeared into the cave and was back a few minutes later with the granola bar. He threw it at Kim. "There."

"I said I didn't want it." She threw it back at him.

"Eat it," Roxas warned, throwing it back, "or I'll be forced to stuff it down your throat."

"Try me." She grimaced, clenching her fists.

"Oh, I will." Roxas tested her nerves, glaring slyly at her. It was obvious that he was only joking. He sat down again as Kim turned the granola bar around in her hands, unsure of what to do. She hated granola.

"You wouldn't happen to have an apple, would you?" Kim asked, hearing her blasted stomach.

Roxas must've heard it too, because he erupted into laughter. "Sorry, I'm out."

"You think it's funny?" Kim stood, tossing the granola bar off the cliff. "You think _this_ is _funny_!?"

Roxas made a pinching motion with his index finger and his thumb, holding it up for her to see clearly. "Just a little."

Kim couldn't believe the absurdity of him. She was determined to figure out the reasoning behind his humor. "We could _die_, and you're laughing?"

"That's exactly why I'm laughing."

"_What_?"

"Just think about it," Roxas stood, facing her. "We could only have so much time left to us. Would you rather spend that time worrying or laughing?"

Kim, fuming, clenched her fists and turned away from him, marching off into the cave. Roxas followed quickly after her.

"Seriously," he continued, "just think about it for two seconds."

"No."

Roxas grabbed her wrist when they were about five feet into the dirty cave. He pulled her to face him, and stared her down with complete, real seriousness. He ignored the expression on her mud-dried face, and held onto her firmly. "Don't be so upset. Everything will work out."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

"You can't _possibly_ know that." Kim pressed her lips together. "You're being idiotic and unrealistic and I'm tired of it, Roxas!"

"Well, you're being a Bitch!" Roxas growled. "You don't think I'm tired of that?!"

"Maybe I'd be less of a Bitch if you weren't so God damn annoying!" Kim fired back, bearing her teeth.

"I'm not _trying_ to be annoying!" Roxas huffed. "Isn't there a single cell in your body that can take a joke!?"

"If you knew me at all-" Kim cut herself off. She pushed herself away from him and he just watched her walk off for a moment before following her, slowly, deeper into the cave. It was almost pitch black now, and he could hardly see a hand in front of his face. "If I'm so horrible," he could barely hear Kim saying, "then what's the point of being with me?"

Roxas slowed to a stop. She sat down again, leaning against a black wall. Even in the pitch black her eyes were brilliantly bright somehow. She stared at him, waiting. And waiting. Roxas was at loss for words again. Finally, he spoke. "Why would you even say something like that?" _Because she was Kim, that's why. _

Kim's expression changed. She didn't look as high and mighty as usual. "It's just a question."

Roxas sat down across from her with nothing to lean against. He reached over for his bag and grabbed a flashlight from it in the left pocket. "Not one that needs to be answered." He whispered as he fiddled with the object, trying to find the switch.

"So you _don't _like being with me, then?" Kim asked in a sort-of monotone. The was feeling hidden somewhere. Down deep. She wasn't going to show it, but Roxas knew if he listened hard enough he could catch little things like that.

"I didn't say that."

"Then why won't you answer?" Kim was frustrated now.

Roxas found the switch just then and flicked. He had accidentally pointed the flashlight at her and she covered her face, temporarily blinded.

"Damnit, Roxas!"

Roxas mumbled an apology and turned the flashlight back off. They didn't really need it. There was a silence and they switched back to the topic. Roxas knew Kim was expecting him to say something still. "I guess my point is," He unconsciously leaned towards her, as if they weren't already sitting close enough to each other. He paused, choosing his words right.

Kim gazed down at her crossed legs and her feet. She pushed small rocks away from her with her hand to occupy herself while Roxas thought. She was surprised when he spoke up again so soon, expecting him to have taken longer.

"Look," he said, again leaning closer. Precious inches were all that stood between their faces. "I could care less about the stupid little arguments we are. And yeah, you're a bitch, but that's just _you. _And no matter how much I hate it sometimes or how twisted you get…." Roxas paused again. "I wouldn't ever change you. You're what I decided to fall in love with and that's that." Roxas was surprised by how un-nervous he was admitting that. "Honestly. I can't see why you won't just accept that."

Kim was stiff and taken back. She wasn't expecting him to be so… sincere. "Oh, well…" She stuttered, lost for once in her life. She put a hand over her stomach, as if to sooth whatever was bouncing around down there. "Okay."

"No matter what you say or think," Roxas continued on, oddly confident. This was something he could win. "I'm already head over heels, to the point of no return, and I'm pretty okay with that."

Kim stayed silent. There was a part of her that was relieved to no end and another part of her that didn't know what to say.

"If that's okay with you, anyways." Roxas moved to sit with her, leaning against the black sheet of rock.

Kim snickered just then, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Don't be dumb." She began working at her glove, trying to take it off so her hand was free. She worked on his after, and then she was holding it like it was some natural thing she did all the time. It was so much easier to be with him when people weren't staring.

"Sorry." He laughed too, enjoying the warmth from her hand. Everything was suddenly… _easy._

She leaned against his further, inching her lips up to his ear. "I love you too, bye the way."

Kim kissed his Adam's apple and in turn he kissed her forehead. "Great." He laughed, and she smacked him. Playfully. She looked up at his face and let go of his hand for a moment to caress it, and she smiled like she'd never smiled. Roxas leaned down and covered her mouth in a series of easy kisses and she took it, clearly just as relaxed as he was. Here in the middle of Alaska.

Again, this was another side of Kim Roxas didn't know about.

He liked it. A lot.

"You know," Roxas said in-between kisses that got longer and longer, "I almost forgot where we were."

Kim groaned and held his face a few inches back from hers, and glared. "Thanks for reminding me."

Roxas shrugged. Same old Kim. "No problem?"

Kim shook her head and returned her head to his shoulder and her hand to his, trying to find that peace again. She found it pretty quick in the silence and closed her eyes, sighing. She realized just how tired she really was with the lack of food and sunlight. It was embarrassing, because Roxas could hear her stomach too. She groaned again.

"You know, I have more granola bars if you-"

"I hate granola."

Roxas laughed. "Suit yourself."

_**To Be Continued**_

**A/N: **I hope that was at least a little bit worth the wait.

By the way, before I forget, wish me a happy late birthday.

_**Awards**_

Not this time around. I need to update already.

_**Till next time!**_

It'll be soon, I swear. Nammah will not be left out next time, too. Promise. :)

Okay, I'm done now –Cracker-jacks000


	65. Who's Turning 18?

**A/N: **Okay, I know, I need to get with the updates. I have a couple things to say before you read the chapter. _First:_ I would love it if you reviewed (inspiration and all that) but as long as you're at least reading, I'm happy. _Second: _The story will not end at the end of April, as I had planned it. But, it will be done by summer. _Third: _If there IS an Another Story 3, it will be extremely short and attached to the end of this story (okay, lets say AS2 end on Ch. 70. Ch 71 would actually be Ch. 1 of AS3).

Okay, I'm done. Enjoy the chapter, and review if you'd like to.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own kingdom hearts, or character names. Personalities and plot belong to me.

**CHAPTER 65**

Namine didn't want to open her eyes as she walked into Selphie's home, for fear of what she might see. Regardless, she opened them for her friends' sake. Her eyes were greeted with bright colors and a crowded living room. There must've been hundreds of balloons tied to the ceiling. The music played a little too loud and the decorations (piles upon piles of confetti and streamers), but Namine had to admit that it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. Not even close. She felt bad about throwing a fit earlier.

Selphie was bouncing around in front of her and Riku within seconds of their arrival. "Well, well, _well_?" She stared, waiting, with wide eyes and anticipation.

"A little excessive," Namine answered honestly, staring at all the people, "but I like it," She finished, and Selphie's grin grew.

"I _knew_ you'd like it," she giggled and dashed off into the crowd, disappearing.

Namine sighed. "Short attention span."

Riku took a good look at the ceiling and tried not to laugh. "You should be used to that by now."

Namine found her way to the kitchen (which was, surprisingly, less crowded) with Riku trailing behind her. Riku waved at a couple of friends and familiar faces from around school and on the football team as they proceeded onward. Namine tried her best to ignore everyone.

"Looks like Selphie invited the whole school," Riku commented, grabbing himself and Namine a soda from the cooler.

Namine looked about the room and made eye contact with a couple of still-jealous girls from the beginning of the year. They glared at her. "Unfortunately," she glared back, wrapping her arm around Riku's. She guessed that half the girls here only came because they knew Riku would be with her.

Riku snickered and waved at the girls Namine was scowling at, and their attention shifted to him. They erupted into a fit of giggles as they waved back. "Just be nice," he shrugged.

"Easy for you to say," Namine released his arm and took a seat in a free chair. Riku leaned against the table next to her.

"Ignore them, at least. No good ever comes from being mean." Riku told, trying to dry the wet pop can with the end of his sleeve.

Namine didn't answer, looking up to see a few more glares pointed in her direction. She groaned. "They're _everywhere_."

"And they _so_ wish they were you," Kairi stated, suddenly sitting next to Namine.

"Hey!" Namine greeted her friend, smiling like she meant it for the first time since they got here. "What's up?"

"Nothing, really," Kairi shrugged.

"Where's Nammah?" Namine asked, realizing that she hadn't seen her around school the last few days.

"Oh, she's around here. Somewhere." Kairi said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "She's trying to enjoy her last night here. She leaves tomorrow."

"Hmm." Namine hummed, finally opening her can of soda. "If I don't see her before then, tell her I said Bye."

"No problem." Kairi nodded.

"Hey, I'll be right back." Riku said, pointing at a group of boys in the distance that looked like the majority of the Blitz Ball team.

"Okay." Namine said, and then he kissed her on the cheek and was gone.

Kairi watched them, and then something in her mind clicked. "Oh, I forgot to ask. Have you seen Sora anywhere?"

Namine shrugged. "I saw him at lunch in school today."

"Oh. I haven't seen him since 5th period." Kairi frowned.

Namine shrugged again, and then they were silent. Until Selphie showed her face again, at least.

"Do you want to see your cake?" She asked excitedly, and a couple people within hearing distance glanced back at her.

"Um. Sure?"

"Yay!" Selphie cheered, and grabbed Namine's arm, leading her into the crowded room again. Kairi followed, and Namine looked back at where Riku had pointed. He was laughing, oblivious that she'd even gotten up. Namine sighed.

"Ta-da!" Selphie stopped in the back of the room, presenting Namine with a three layer, colorfully frosted and homemade cake. There were a few designs on the edges that looked vaguely like flowers. 

On the very top of the cake read "_Happy B-Day Nami_!" The cake rested on a fold-out table, in the middle of an assortment of presents from the people that bothered to get her something. Despite the sloppiness of it, Namine couldn't help but feel grateful and suddenly hungry.

"Wow, thanks." Namine smiled. "You must've worked really hard."

Selphie shook her head. "Nah."

"Mmmm." Kairi was half tempted to reach out and swipe some of the frosting with her finger. "So when do I get a piece?"

There was already and cake knife resting next to the cake, and Selphie glanced at Namine, questioning. Namine shrugged. "I don't care. Knock yourself out."

"Aren't we supposed to light candles and sing happy birthday first?" Tidus asked, appearing next to Selphie. Wakka was with him.

"Oh please, God, _NO._" Namine waved her hands around and backed up.

"Not big on tradition, ya?" Wakka snickered.

"Not really."

"18, right?" Tidus asked, helping Selphie cut the cake. She whined at him, claiming that she could do it herself.

"Who's turning 18?" Nammah was the next to appear out of nowhere.

"I told you we were going to Namine's birthday," Kairi commented, and Nammah moved to stand next to her.

"I probably wasn't paying attention."

"As usual," Jake was following her, and Will was oddly absent.

"Where's-"

Jake interrupted her, knowing was she was about to ask. "He stayed back at Sora's."

"Is Sora home, do you know?" Kairi asked, hopeful.

Jake shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Cake time!" Selphie announced, yelling loud enough for about half the gigantic room to hear. The other half would follow the rest, no doubt. Namine, Selphie, Kairi, Nammah, Jake, Tidus, and Wakka escaped with their pieces to the kitchen while everyone else crowded around the cake. There, sitting where Namine once was, was Riku. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she took the chair next to him.

"Selphie wanted to show me the cake," she explained, pushing her piece towards him. He looked at it and shook his head.

"I'm not hungry." He said.

"Suit yourself."

Namine's friends disappeared, walking off one by one as they finished eating. Namine and Riku were alone again.

"Is it good?" Riku asked, resting his folded arms on the table.

Namine nodded and looked at him, pushing her empty paper plate away. "It's really sweet though." She made a face, and he laughed.

"Feel up to dancing with me?" Riku asked, hearing some of his favorite music being blasted from the speakers in the living room.

"Always."

**000**

Roxas growled under his breath. This couldn't get any more old; sitting here in the damp cave with nothing to do and Kim cursing softly to herself just outside the cave. He guessed that it was at least two am the next day. Kim had given into the granola bars after a few more hours of listening to her growling stomach and then they both passed out, tired and still hungry.

They hadn't moved from their spot. At the very least, they had a sort-of shelter. They were surviving.

"I will never watch another episode of _I Shouldn't Be Alive _the same way again." Roxas announced as Kim walked back inside the darkness of the cave. She sauntered right past him, ignoring him completely. "Seriously." He laughed sourly at himself. His throat was too dry. His face was too numb.

Kim sat down well over three feet away, leaning up against the wall and crossing her legs. She was occupied with something at the moment. Roxas didn't take the time to notice what she was holding in her hands.

"Maybe I'll call when I get back about being on the show." Roxas coughed, and then leaned forward to see what Kim was so absorbed in. "You brought a book with you. _On a hike_?"

Kim continued to ignore him.

He scooted closer, leaning over more so he could see what book she was reading. He was leaning over so far that he had to read it upside down. "Hey, the Spanish book! Long time no see."

"_German_." Kim hissed, slapping the book shut and glaring at him fiercely. "The title's _German,_ you idiot!"

"Okay, okay," Roxas waved his hands around, not hurt by her sudden outburst. He understood. A little more than two days lost in Alaska would make someone just a _little _crazy. "Sorry for being disruptive. Continue." He pointed at the book and then stood, leaving her to read in peace.

He walked out into the dim light, wondering how Kim could even see the pages back in the cave. The sun had just begun to rise, and he could already feel the terrible cold from the night warming up. He was still frozen, but it was getting better.

He peered into the vast endlessness of the sky, searching for a plane, or better yet, a helicopter. He searching the ground about a hundred and fifty feet below the cave for something that looked like a search party but found none. There was no hope _anywhere_ for them. He was half tempted to throw himself off the cliff and get it over with.

He sighed deeply and rocked back on his heels, shoving his gloved hands in his pockets for extra warmth. He shook his head at himself. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions. There had to be s_omebody_ out there looking for them. And then he shuddered when he realized what day it must've been. They should be boarding a plane to home right now, not stuck here.

And then he thought about what everyone would think when they heard that he was missing. If they didn't already know. All of his problems from before – like his grades, his apartment, finding a way to tell Namine that he was _with _Kim, everything – seemed insignificant.

He hoped to God that someone would find them soon.

**000**

Another three hours of switching between dancing and sitting around, and Namine was about ready to go home. A fraction of the people had left already, seeing as it was nearly midnight. Most people stayed though - ready to party till dawn. God knows Selphie was with them.

Namine waited for the right moment to tell Selphie she had to go. She thought up a dozen excuses but tossed them aside. Selphie would hardly be paying attention at all. Namine quivered at the thought of the sugar high she must have by now.

Kairi, still hanging around Namine (since Sora was still absent), barely managed to grab Selphie's arm as she dashed right past them. "Hey, we need you for a second." She said, and Selphie glanced back for a moment at the people she was following, who stared at her quizzically as they kept running on.

"What?" She groaned.

"We really have to get going now," Namine said, clutching her coat in both hands. Selphie didn't seem to care like Namine thought she would. "If that's alright. I really did like the party."

"Go ahead!" Selphie hugged her, and waved. "Happy birthday, Namine! I'll see you at school on Monday." And then she was gone again.

Riku helped Namine get into her coat, although she was perfectly capable of doing that herself. Kairi followed them out the door, and Namine stopped to stare at her. "You can stay, if you want."

"No, that's okay." Kairi sighed.

"I'm sure Sora will turn up eventually. If you still want to wait for him-"Namine was interrupted.

"No, really, I should just get home. It's midnight, Namine. He's not coming." Kairi said, and then smiled weakly. "I'll give him a call tomorrow."

Namine nodded, and they proceeded to the nearest bus stop. They waited ten minutes, at most, for an empty bus to arrive and they climbed on. Seeing as Kairi lived much farther away, closer to Sora's part of the island, Riku and Namine were the first to get off. The bus route came close to their school before heading off in a different direction, so Namine and Riku decided that they could just walk from there.

"See you later," Namine smiled. Riku simply waved, and then followed Namine out of the bus. They watched the bus drive away until it was far off in the distance.

The walk home was silent and oddly warm. It had been so cold since they got back from Hawaii in December. Namine questioned herself all the time about why it snowed here on this tropical island. Riku didn't get it ether.

Riku opened the front door for Namine and locked it behind them, throwing the key into his coat pocket that was now hanging in the closet with Namine's.

"See? I told you that it wouldn't be so bad. You should've trusted me; I grew up with her." Riku snickered as he continued to follow Namine downstairs and to his room.

"_Blahblahblah_," Namine made a face, walking over to the dresser to grab her favorite pair of cotton pajamas. Before Namine could turn around, Riku wrapped his arms around her and rested his lips on the corner of her ear. Namine's skin was an inferno under his touch.

"So," He whispered, smiling, "You don't have to study. There's no school tomorrow. I don't think you made any plans… Looks like there's time."

"Yes," Namine turned herself around in his arms to face him, and inched her hand up to his shoulder. She tilted her head and smiled sweetly. "Time to make me pancakes."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "At midnight?"

"I'm in a pancake mood." She snickered, kissed him quickly, and made her leave down the hall for the bathroom, her Pj's hanging on her right arm. Riku scratched the back of his head.

"Uh. Okay." He shrugged. He made his way up to the kitchen, although he was almost _positive_ that they were out of pancake mix.

**000**

Like Namine, Riku wasn't much of a morning person. Not really. In fact, he couldn't wait until the weekend, because that meant that he got to unplug his alarm clock. It didn't exactly brighten his morning when he was woken up to the ringing of his cell phone. So much for sleeping in.

He heaved a sigh and Namine remained silent next to him. He removed Namine's arm from its place over his chest and turned over, reached for his cell phone; which sat on the floor next to his bed.

Riku blinked, yawning one last time before answering. "Mmm?" he asked.

"Dude," Sora's voice came through. Riku was instantly alert.

"Hey! Kairi thought you went missing last night. What's with that?"

Sora ignored him, and went on to say what he called to say.

"We've got a problem. _**Big **_problem." He over emphasized the word 'big.'

_**To Be Continued**_

**A/N: **I know. Long wait – short chapter. I'm working on it, I swear.

Here's another announcement that I didn't make at the beginning of the story: _No more top reviewer awards. _Yeah, I've kinda been doing it for a while (and it's kinda painful to take it away) but I want whoever reviews to give me an honest review and not have to worry about "Oh is she not going to pick me then?" And, the story end soon anyways. This one, at least.

Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who's still putting up with my insanely short and late updates. You've been with me since the beginning, have helped me become a _way way way_ better writer, constantly put a smile on my face, and then some. I mean it when I say that you rock. You freaking rock.

So review if you'd like to. No more pressure. But it would _totally_ make my day if you did review.

-Cracker-Jacks000 with a smiley face.


	66. Burning The Bag

**A/N: **Hey. I updated. :)

For all of you that are reviewing anyways, thanks. It means a lot to me.

And I've decided (or mostly decided) what I'm going to do about Another Story 3. There will be one (pray that I don't change my mind) and it will probably be a separate story. Still short, but a different story. It will not be titled AS3 (I'll say something about it in the beginning though) and the story is going to be one gigantic road trip (yay for road trips). What's ironic is that this story ends in a road trip (we're not there yet, though). The story will take place two or three years into the future and the setting will be the beginning of spring or near fall. I've got it all set up.

**Disclaimer: **duh I don't.

Anyways, enjoy this next chapter.

**CHAPTER 66**

Riku was already on his feet when Sora over-emphasized the word _Big_ in _Big problem._ Sora's voice was rarely this shaky. Something was up.

"What is it?" Riku asked, searching for a clean pair of jeans just in case this _problem _required leaving the home. He let Namine sleep, and she did, never awakened. She had only been sleeping for about four hours now (it was about 8 am). Nothing in the world could wake Namine up right now.

Sora was freaking out. "Man, this is _baaaad_."

"What is it?" Riku asked again, and could hear other people talking in the background. On the other line, Sora was standing behind the door to the living room, where his parents were being talked to by _the police. _

"Hello?!" Riku was frustrated now, curious as to what the hell was going on.

"Okay, well, I'm not quite sure. But there are police in my home right now chewing my parent's ears off. I think we're caught."

Riku's heart stopped. Somehow, he knew they'd get caught eventually. "Where are they?"

"They left to the airport about an hour before the police showed up."

"That's a relief."

"Cross your fingers that it's not about Nammah."

"That's pointless."

"Just do it!"

Riku stood, waiting for something to happen. On the other line Sora was crouched down now, his ear pressed to the crack at the bottom of the door.

"Damn," Sora mumbled, panic never leaving his tone, "I can't hear them."

"Do they look mad?"

"Oh yeah. I can totally see through doors."

Riku sat down, unable to keep completely still. His fingers tapped his knee as he waited, anxious. "Don't be a smartass," he scowled, his breath becoming uneven. _Not happening, not happening, not happening, _he thought to himself.

Namine rolled back over then, to where she was facing his back. Half awake, half unconscious, she moved her hand towards his and grabbed it. "Riku…" she yawned, trying to see the clock but he was blocking the way.

He looked back at her, looking irritated, but held onto her hand. "Not now…" he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Namine didn't have a problem with his request. But she was curious as to why he was awake… and shaking. "Lay back down," she insisted, scooting closer to him, "why are you on the phone?"

Riku shook his head at her. "This is important. Seriously, go back to sleep." Riku was horrified at the thought of a sleep-deprived Namine in the morning.

Namine used his lap as a pillow, and finally relaxed again. She held onto his hand with both of hers and in a matter of minutes was back in dream-land. Riku stroked her hair as he waited, and the silence that filled the room was unbearable.

Finally, Sora spoke up again, and the volume of his voice rose higher with every syllable. "Oh shit! They're coming!" He could hear Sora tripping over himself as he hurried away from the living room door. Sora his again and watched the police begin to head up to his room, walking right past him as he hid behind a laundry basket. He didn't escape from his parent eyes, though. "Crap, I'm putting you bon hold. Wait a sec."

And then the phone went on hold, silent and painful. He was praying and hoping to the dear Lord that everything was okay…

**000**

"What do you think you're doing?" Sora's mother asked him, and Sora stood still behind the basket, imagining that he wasn't just caught. The police stopped, looking back and seeing him. One of them looked slightly amused.

Sora shut his eyes, as if that would make them disappear. He opened them again, but the setting was the same. All eyes on him.

"Boy, get off the floor." Sora's father was stern… firm.

Sora obeyed, rising to his feet slowly, clutching his phone in his right hand. His heart was beating so fast that he was sure he should be having a heart attack right any minute now.

"There's… Something we have to tell you." Sora's mother looked pained, and suddenly his father looked like he'd rather not be there right now. The three police were standing in a row, all trying to look serious but sympathetic at the same time.

Now Sora was confused. Shouldn't they be mad at him? Suddenly, he had this horrible feeling in his stomach. Maybe it was worse.

Sora's mother took a deep breath, but couldn't put her thoughts into words. She looked at the police for help. One of them stepped forward, and Sora's mother clasped her hands together and looked like she was bracing herself for something to explode… Sora, maybe?

"Should we move back into the living room?" The policeman asked, but Sora's father shook his head.

"No, let's just get this over with."

"Please." Sora's mother added, about ready to cry.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, raising his voice. This wasn't funny at all. Something bad was about to happen and Sora could feel it in his bones. This was far worse than getting locked in prison for the next ten years.

"We're sorry to tell you that…" the police man paused. Sora held his breath and both his parents looked down like they were ashamed.

"Your friend has gone missing, along with another girl by the name of Kim." He said almost too quickly and formally for Sora's ears to comprehend. This all took a moment to register in his frazzled brain.

"Wait-" Sora stuttered, "Roxas?"

Sora's mother nodded, still looking like she was going to burst into tears. He understood now; his family and Roxas's family had been friend for as long as he could remember. But he didn't think about that now. _"Missing" _had yet to sink in. "What do you mean _missing_?" Sora's tone was panicked again.

"We have search parties going, but it's very unlikely that we will find them." The police continued, trying to keep his voice formal and serious.

The sinking in was still not happening. Sora repeated himself. _"What?"_

Sora's father took a long, deep breath and looked in another direction. The police man stood tall and straight, and suddenly Sora was deathly afraid of him. What came out of his mouth next was the reason why he nearly crushed the phone in his hand, the reason why his knees went week and he almost fell, and the reason why he screamed.

"I'm afraid your friend is dead."

**000**

Riku finally hung up the phone when Sora hadn't taken him off hold for an hour. He tried calling him, but he got the answering machine every time. He was half temped to get up and drive to Sora's house. But he couldn't leave Namine here alone, or make her get up and come with him. So he called Kairi, who lived closer to him. She wanted to know where he was anyways.

"Mmm, hello?" Kairi answered in a sheepish tone. He'd woke her up… Oh, well.

"Sora's at his house."

Kairi sound like she was still asleep. "Huh." She said like it was no big deal.

"You needed to know where he was?" Riku asked.

"Look, it's kinda early, and I have no idea what you're talking about right now. Give me a second to re-gain consciousness." She sounded ticked that Riku had called her so early just to inform her that Sora was at home.

"Something's wrong. Do you mind going over there to check for me? He won't answer the phone."

Kairi took a deep breath. "Um, _no_. And what's wrong?"

"Wait," Riku just remembered something, "aren't you supposed to be at the airport right now with Nammah?"

"I am there. The flight got delayed."

"Sleeping at the airport?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, the police are at Sora's house probably looking for Nammah."

Kairi sounded awake now. "_What_?"

"The. Police. Are. At-"

"God damn, Riku. I heard you."

"If you can't go, do you think you can get Tidus to?"

"No. He sleeps like a rock."

"Then call Wakka."

"I'm on it."

**000**

Roxas thought that if he stared at the sky hard enough, rescue would magically appear. While Kim slept, waking up occasionally to cram snow down her throat (they were out of water), Roxas continued to watch the darkening sky carefully. He was starving – but food was something that they were out of too. And he was colder than ever. All of the snow had melted and soaked through the several layers of his clothes.

He sat there, miserable and shivering, just waiting for something to happen.

Kim was awake right now, just barely, and dragging herself towards the snow. Her face was an extreme pale, her eyes dull and lifeless and her body weak from lack of nutrition and sleep deprivation. She almost looked like a zombie.

She glanced at him once as she sat down and grabbed handfuls of snow. She stuck big handfuls and waited it for it to melt in her mouth.

"You okay?" Roxas asked, and she looked at him suddenly as if he'd snuck up on her. Her eyes were wide, and then narrowed.

"Oh, yeah, totally fine." She said sarcastically.

Roxas didn't laugh or roll his eyes. He just ignored her, too tired to really care. He laid on his back and stared up at the sky again, wishing and praying that something would come soon. Another day and a half and they were dead. For sure.

_God damn, _Roxas thought to himself. All this silence really gave a person some time to think. He couldn't believe all of the things that he'd taken for granted back home. Like his heater, for example.

Kim sighed, and came to lay next to him. She pressed the side of her body against his, wrapping both her arms around his arm as if it would bring her some extra warmth or comfort.

"I told you we were going to die," Kim leaned her head in the curve from his shoulder to his neck. She had half her face buried in his coat.

"We've got at least a day," Roxas turned his head towards hers a little, but got a face full of hair.

"No," Kim sniffed, and her voice sounded dry. It cracked a little when she spoke. "I'm freezing. I'm going to freeze."

"Please," Roxas tried to sound hopeful, "You're wearing three of your coats _plus_ one of mine."

Kim just tensed up like she was mad. She sat up a little and began to un-strap her boot. Roxas sat up too, concerned as she expressed pain.

"What's wrong with your foot?" Roxas asked, touching her hand as if that would make her stop taking her boot off. She smacked it away.

"Look," Kim said, throwing her boot to the side and taking off two pairs of socks.

Roxas did a double-take. He stared hard at her bare foot, as if he wasn't seeing right. It was… _**Black. **_Or close, at least. Like a dark grey.

"Holy shit!" His stomach did a back flip and his heart stopped.

Wow_. _They really _were _dying.

Kim made a sound like she might start sobbing just looking it. "Unfortunately, frostbite is just the beginning."

**000**

Sora tried not to hyperventilate. He sat on his bed, finally alone, unsure of what to do next. He was just told that his friend had probably frozen to death. _And_ with his psycho girlfriend. What was he supposed to do? Go crazy? Tell everybody?

The police had left about a half hour ago, and his mother tried to comfort him until he escaped up to his room.

Sora's head was spinning. After a couple of minutes just sitting there, he began to clench his fists. And then he wanted to hit something. _Hard. _He knew that the worst was yet to sink in, so he tried to distract himself. His heart faced and his stomach was in a knot, and he dug in his pocket for his phone. Oddly, it began to ring as soon as he touched it. His hands were shaking so bad that he almost dropped the phone.

"H-hello?" Sora stuttered, pressing the phone hard against his ear.

"Dude," Wakka's voice was worried and tense, "What's with the police, ya?"

Sora's voice was shaking too, like he was in a car n a bumpy road. "Yeah. They left." Sora wondered how Wakka had gotten to know so fast.

"No," Sora's door opened now, and he swirled around to look. Wakka was at the door, and he snapped his phone shut and closed the door behind himself, "why were they here, man?"

Wakka stopped now, and took in how panicked Sora looked. He shook and his eyes were all buggy.

"Dude," Wakka froze, bent his knees, and held his hands up, "_No._ I am _not_ goin' to jail!"

Sora looked down at his feet, and let his phone drop to the bed with a light _pat_. "don't have to worry about jail," Sora shook his head softly, and swallowed.

Wakka stood straight again, and cocked an eyebrow. Now he was confused. "Eh?"

Sora kept shaking his head, his quick movements kind of scary. "I don't want to talk about it."

Wakka couldn't help but ask. "Are you on crack?"

Sora's head shot up, and he glared. "No."

"Well what's wrong then? Nammah's on her way back to Paris," Wakka paused, "and we're not caught! What's with the shakin'?"

Sora didn't say anything. And then his face fell, like he would cry. And then it got all twisted and his fists clench and his teeth grinded together and his whole body as so tense that you could almost see veins in his neck. He stood, breathing loudly, and looked like he might erupt.

"Hey, hey," Wakka put his hands back up and backed up against the door.

"That stupid-"Sora punched the wall and a loud thud hurt his ears, "_stupid _Idiot!"

Wakka watched as Sora Kicked at the legs of his desk and ripped the curtain off the window and chucked his cell phone across the room. He screamed through his teeth and he was breathing so hard that Wakka could almost smell the morning breath.

"I can't believe-" Sora ripped the mouse from the computer and threw that next, "what a _stupid idiot_ he is!"

"Whoa, Sora," Wakka said, still holding his hands up in defense, as though Sora might want to throw _him, _"Let's take this Slowly. First, stupid and idiot mean the same thing. Grammar, man. Think about the grammar."

Sora ignored him, and made another screaming noise. Wakka could hear Sora's mother fumbling up the stairs. "He's such a dumb shit!"

Wakka leaned back against the door more, and could almost hear Sora's mother breathing on the other side, waiting. "Sora," Wakka tried to sound firm, "_who's_ a dumb shit?"

Sora stopped in the middle of his room, and looked down at the floor in front of him. His breathing grew even more unsteady and his voice cracked as he stopped screaming and cursing. His fists clenched and unclenched themselves, and his mouth quivered.

"_Roxas!_" His voice cracked again, and his knees buckled. He fell to his knees and put his hands over his face, pulling at his hair. He started howling, on the tip of hysteria, and his mother broke through the door. She pushed Wakka out of the way and was on the floor with her son in seconds. She held him against her as he bawled, cursing over and over again about how much of an idiot Roxas was.

Wakka felt horrible, even though he still wasn't sure what was going on. He had yet to put it together. It was hard, I'm sure you could imagine, watching your friend fall apart. Sora looked more pathetic and helpless now than he'd ever looked in his entire life. More helpless than the several stick wars Sora lost to Riku as a kid on the Island, or when he broke his first phone and lost his mother's car keys for a couple hours.

Sora struggled to get a hold of himself. His chest ached and his eyes burned, and he felt like he'd never been in so much pain. As it all sank in everything fell to bits. He imagined the funeral and how devastated everyone would be.

IN a couple of hours he was explaining to Wakka everything. How they went missing on the tour, how they'd been lost for three days now, and how there was a slim chance that that Roxas and Kim were even the slightest bit conscious at this moment. Sora's mom sat in the kitchen with the home phone, trying to calm Roxas's mother. If Sora was in this much agony, he couldn't even begin to imagine how his mother felt right now.

**000**

As Namine sat quietly at the table poking at her pancakes, clueless, Riku tried not to pace. He walked slowly around the table, stopping to look out the window for a moment whenever he passed it. Namine, who was too tired to even notice that Riku was in the room, stared down at her breakfast with dull eyes and no enthusiasm. The cat meowed from the closet, where Namine always locked it up, claiming that she couldn't deal with it in the mornings.

Riku sighed loudly, running a hard hand over the surface of the table before gripping its edge and throwing himself down onto a chair with a hiss. It was then that Namine looked up, barely, staring at him through her long eyelashes. "Mmm?" She hummed, her expression asking why he was o frustrated. She looked so exhausted that it was almost sort of endearing. Her blue eyes were foggy and still full of sleep, her pupils larger than normal because of the lack of light.

Unfortunately, Riku was too worked up to admire her natural beauty right now. He looked at his cell phone, glaring, thinking that maybe if he stared hard enough it would start ringing….

Riku jumped and nearly fell out of his seat when the phone started to buzz. Hardly taking a moment to pat himself on the shoulder, he grabbed the phone with a shaky hand and held it to his ear. "Hello?" his voice had an edge of panic to it. Across the table Namine glowered at him, perturbed that he wasn't enlightening her on his current problem.

"You're not gonna like this, man." came Wakka's voice through the receiver. Riku's stomach dropped and his heart lodged itself tinto his throat. They were screwed.

"Damnit," Riku scowled, "I _knew_ we should've listened to Roxas…"

"No, man, 'is not that." Wakka was edgy, unsure. In the background you could faintly hear blubbering and shushes.

Riku cocked an eyebrow, pushing Namine's hand out of the way when she tried to grab the phone from him. "Then what is it?"

Namine let out a low growl and snatched the phone. Riku leaned over half the table to try and grab it back, his expression annoyed and impatient. "What's going on?" she asked, feeling more or less awake for the first time all morning.

"Nnnnuhh…" Wakka stalled, and then sighed. "'Is Roxas."

"Roxas?" Namine asked, puzzled, and cocked an eyebrow. Riku successfully stole the phone back.

"What about him?" Riku asked, leaning back in his chair as far away from Namine as possible so her long, skinny arms couldn't reach him.

"They can't find him," Wakka's voice was hushed. The blubbering continued in the background.

Riku put the pieces of the puzzle together quickly. Namine's expression changed from aggravation to concern as Riku's face fell. He sat there, frozen, and for the slightest moment he could feel his arms or his legs. Roxas was missing.

_That's_ some great news to jump start your morning.

**000**

Nammah glared daggers Kairi's way as she sat in a corner all by herself, ignoring all other existence but herself and the phone held up to her right ear. Will and Jake were sitting elsewhere, waiting patiently for the plane. Will spoke none, and Jake fiddled with his thumbs and stared nervously now and then in Nammah's direction.

Nammah was clueless as to what Kairi was concerned with, but she didn't care – whatever it was. Here she was, waiting for some stupid American plane filled with smelly American people to whisk her away to London and then Paris and All Kairi could do instead of spend these fateful last moments with her friend was argue over the phone.

Okay. So maybe Nammah was being a little melodramatic. But still.

"Kairi," she hissed, now tugging at her sleeve. Kairi pushed her hand away, waving her finger – silently telling her to back off – which only made Nammah even more ticked. "_Kairi!_" she hissed again, and Kairi looked up at her fiercely, holding a hand over the phone.

"What?" Kairi asked, beyond annoyed.

"Hello," Nammah pointed at herself, "I'm leaving soon. Stop ignoring me."

Kairi sighed. "Sorry, just one second." And with that she was back on the phone.

"That's what you said five minutes ago!" Nammah groaned.

Kairi glared and shook her head. "Fine, Nammah."

Nammah, triumphant, could finally relax and sit down.

Kairi said goodbye to whomever she was so wrapped up in and concealed her phone away safely in her bag before turning to Nammah. "Sorry," she apologized again.

Instead of saying 'you-should-be' Nammah just smiled.

Kairi was about to say something when she caught Jake staring anxiously at the back of Nammah's head for, like, the millionth time this morning. She giggled, and Nammah whirled around a fraction of a second late. "What?" she asked.

Kairi shook her head softly. "Nothing. It's just that I think Jake likes you."

Nammah stared at her in disbelief, disgusted. "Pfft."

"No, seriously."

Nammah shook her head violently, trying to make her point clear, "No. Jake and I are best friends… We grew up together!"

Kairi winked. "Exactly."

Nammah thought for a second. She couldn't quite decide whether she was mad at Kairi or simply annoyed. Jake wasn't… He didn't….

Nammah shook her head. "That's nonsense."

"No it's not," Kairi looked past Nammah at Jake, who was looking down at his feet sheepishly. Will was talking to him, in French (obviously), and so fast that Kairi wouldn't be able to understand him anyways. "Jake," she called, and Nammah froze.

Jake looked up, looking like he had just seen a ghost, but waved a little. He glanced at Nammah and smiled a little too bashfully.

Then Kairi looked at Nammah again. "Duh. Are you blind?"

Nammah was desperate to change the subject. And she was curious about the phone call anyways. So she asked. "So who were you on the phone with?"

Kairi's expression went blank. "Wakka." She said this in a monotone.

Nammah sat down across from her. "_Why_?"

Well, Nammah was the stowaway, so Kairi guessed she deserved to know that the police were at Sora's house – probably looking for her (as far as Kairi knew, anyways. Wakka didn't get a chance to finish talking). "The police were at Sora's house just a minute ago."

Nammah's eyes grew, and she looked like a bug for a few seconds. "What!?"

Kairi bit her bottom lip and sighed. "I know…" but then she looked up and put on her brave smile. "But, hey, might as well not expect the worst! For all I know nothing bad has happened yet."

Nammah swallowed, and then a short announcement on the intercom announced that Nammah's plane was here, and that it would be leaving in fifteen minutes.

"I can't go now," Nammah sighed, "I've gotten you all in trouble."

In the background, Will and Jake were standing, stretching from sitting down too long, and headed this way. "No, no. Don't worry about it. You have to get home quick."

"But I don't wanna-!"

Jake was standing next to her now, tugging on her shoulder a little while Will stood and watched. "Time to go." He said, and gestured for her to walk with them. Nammah obeyed, and Kairi followed close at her side. As soon as they were outside Kairi had to leave, and that made her feel terrible. Not because she spent so much time on the phone but because she might not ever see her friend again.

"Bye." Nammah said, and gave Kairi a short, tight hug. Will nodded his head and Jake smiled, waving slightly.

"See you soon?" Kairi asked.

Nammah nodded, and took a step back. "Definitely."

With that, they were headed inside the plane and gone within a half hour. Kairi was inside now, watching them take off from the window.

**000**

Kim couldn't believe her eyes. There in the sky, just barely on the horizon, was a helicopter. Well, she was pretty sure that's what it was. Being to tired to panic, but still concerned, she kicked Roxas (who had passed out a while ago – never making it inside the cave).

Roxas jumped a little, and then looked up at her though squinting eyes. "God, _what!_?"

Kim pointed, and Roxas turned his head. He froze, his breath catching, and then he was on his feet. He stumbled around, trying to find something – some way to catch the things attention. Kim stayed calm through it all, seeming rather annoyed. "What are you doing?" she asked, waving at the helicopter while she talked to her frazzled Roxas.

Roxas groaned loudly, shrugging because he didn't know himself.

"You have that one match left, right?" Kim asked, gesturing towards inside the cave.

"Yeah. But what the hell is there to brun?"

"Your bag."

Roxas's eyes widened. "Are you _crazy_!? What if they don't come? What'll we do without all our supplies?"

Kim glared at him horrifyingly, "Roxas…" she warned, and Roxas sighed. He dragged himself inside the cave, but still trying to make haste. The helicopter looked as though it hadn't moved an inch, though. He came back out onto the ledge and held the match to his monstrous bag, and watched it burn.

He then aided Kim in the waving around and screaming, even though they didn't sound like screams at all. Kind of creepy though their dry throats…

But then the helicopter came closer, Kim was sue that was what it was now, because it made a massive amount of noise. When it had gotten close enough it was obvious what it was headed for – them.

At last.

_**To be Continued **_

**A/N: **Sorry if the ending seemed speedy. Eh.

Hey, look. A not so short chapter.

Okay, before I leave you to review or sign out or whatever, cheer for my friend Bethanie. She's engaged! I know, she's a little young, but hey – might as well hope it'll work out well! The ring's really pretty too, by the way. Lol.

Bye now. Review if you'd like to. :)


	67. Strange Angels

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long (again). The laptop got another virus (my new computer does not have internet, by the way) and the internet was down for about a week and a half after I got this chapter done.

**Disclaimer: **No.

**Chapter 67**

Blake knocked violently on Namine's door. Half asleep and wondering who in the hell would knock on her door at six am in the morning, she dragged her feet across the floor and opened the door with a glare. Her harsh expression softened to a sheepish grin when she saw it was only her brother.

He invited himself in, towering over Namine as he walked past her, without even making eye contact. He was his usual self; ridiculously tall, ill-looking, skinny, and vaguely smelling of alcohol. Namine shut the door quietly and turned to see that Blake had already found the living room. She followed him in, too tired to be curious as to why he stopped by, and plopped down on the couch while he stood in the exact center of the room.

"Nice place," he remarked, his voice sounding dry. His voice cracked like the floor of a sandless desert.

Namine shook her head slowly, and then lifted her hands to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Not mine. Not really."

"Riku's, right?" Blake said Riku's name with an intense edge of anger. Blake was the kind of person to be scared of when he was mad – not because of what he might do but just because of… _Him_. The way he looked, carried himself, smelled, and stared with those dull but still oddly vivid deep sea eyes…. Namine shivered. She'd known him her entire life and he still made her the slightest bit uncomfortable.

"Yes." Namine yawned, and Blake mumbled something under his breath. He started to walk around the room then, examining every little detail embedded into the wall and criticizing every picture that hung on it. Namine watched him, patient, still too tired to think properly.

When Blake was finished, he turned his attention back to Namine. "Riku…" He grumbled and wrinkled his nose as if the whole house smelt like Riku and it disgusted him.

Her lack of sleep making her all to forgiving, she smiled like a fool and nodded her head. "Yes. Riku." And then she realized, when her brain began to function, that Riku had not been there when she crawled out of bed this morning. Just like yesterday. Now that she was on a role with the thinking process, she remembered how strange he'd been acting and how suddenly, out of the blue, her older brother was standing in her living room. "Why are you here?" Namine asked, sounding a little more demanding than she'd meant to.

Blake was already too distracted to hear her. He was still looking at her – but not her face. Namine looked down, searching for something that might be out of place and was causing him to stare. She found nothing.

Blake folded his arms angrily, and Namine flinched when he shot her a death glare. "What the hell is _that_?" He was pointing at her, her hand in particular. She looked at it and still saw nothing strange.

"What?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Don't play dumbass," he was fight in front of her now, yanking her up to her feet by her arm (which felt like he was really ripping it out of its socket) and shoving her hand in her face. The sharp edges of the diamonds on her ring hurt the purple under her eyes. "_That._" He touched the ring and emphasized the word _that_ so it sounded like the most horrible four letters in the English language.

Namine's heart stopped pounding. Now she saw the problem, bright as day. She searched for some kind of an excuse, but she couldn't lie about it being real. The sparkle along gave it away. "Uh…."

"Damnit Namine, answer me." He gave her her hand back, pushing it away from him harshly. His glare was so intense, so fiery hot that Namine wanted to turn away from him forever.

"That," namine looked down at the biggest aquamarine diamond. She swallowed hard "would be a ring."

"_What does it stand for_?" He said each word slowly, emphasizing every syllable. Namine took a step away from her brother, putting her hand up in defense. He took a step toward her, and she stepped back again. He did this until Namine was all the way o the other side of the room and he had her pinned against the wall.

Namine kept her mouth shut, horrified at the look on Blake's face. He was, without a doubt, the most terrifying person she had ever been cursed to lay eyes on. Whether he was her brother or not.

"_Answer. Me_." His teeth were grinded together and his breath smelt horrible.

"I-I," Namine stuttered, so scared she thought she might start to cry. No longer was she happy to see her brother.

Blake raised his hand, dry and calloused, as though he might hit her. But she knew that he would not – he never had and never would. She knew very well that she was the only person in the entire family that he really cared about anymore (he had despised his parents since birth and never attended their mom's funeral). He would shoot himself in the head before he ever went as far as hitting her.

Still, his empty threat made her spit out the answer to his pointless question. He had already known. "It's an engagement ring."

Blake turned and stalked away from her, leaving her backed up against the wall. Shaking and unable to move, Namine watched him as he cursed his way toward the door, spitting out every bad word in the dictionary. He stopped himself when he was almost to the other side of the room and glared at her again. "Pack your bags."

Namine regained her composure and folded her arms. She would not take crap from him. "No."

"Pack your bags." He repeated himself.

"No." Namine's voice was annoyed and agitated. She should be allowed to make her own decisions; he would not drag her out of the home she had made her own. "Is that why you came? To take me away?" Namine returned his glare. "You selfish little-"

"It was James's idea, not mine. But I agree with him more than ever, now." His scowl was now directed at the ring, its sparkle distracting.

"Since when have you started communicating with dad again?" Namine raised her eyebrows, and hissed, "or ever."

"He left a message on my phone." Blake told, his gaze never leaving the ring.

"I'm not going anywhere." Namine said, all business. Nothing would take her away. Since the moment she and Riku had seen each other, it was no longer up to Blake or her father to decide where she would go or what she would do. If she was making a mistake, well, they'd better just let her make it.

Blake looked down at his watch. "I'll be back in two hours. I swear to God, Namine, if you're not ready by then –" Blake didn't finish. With one last scowl, he left and slammed the front door, ignoring the cat that meowed from behind the closet door.

**000**

Nammah felt sick and lonely. Being without Kairi was torture. No, being away from destiny islands altogether was torture. The destination of this flight didn't make her feel any better ether. She wondered about the next time she'd get to see all her new friends, the people that had accepted her much faster than anyone back home. Would Tidus and Wakka still want to play Blitz Ball with her? Would Kairi be over their friendship in two years? Would Roxas want to be her friend when she came back legally?

Nammah sighed, leaning back in her seat. She stared out the gigantic window of the airport in London, waiting for the next plane. She curled her chocolate brown hair in her finger, her reddish brown eyes searching for something to distract her. Will sat two seats down from her, leaving an empty seat in-between then that was Jake's. Jake had gone away five minutes alone in search of a bathroom.

Will sat quietly, patiently, unmoving. His gaze was fixed outside, his coal black hair hiding half his face. His hand were laced and rested in his lap. He looked like a wax figure, still and unblinking. He wore the usual dark or faded colors. A black vest lay over his striped shirt. He wore the old, beat up and faded pair of jeans Sora had given him since he had brought no other clothes along with him to America. They fit him rather well, and looked comfortable at that.

Nammah looked down at one of the numerous shirts Kairi had bought her. She was happy that it did not have any words on it – she spoke their language rather well (if you forget the accent) but she could hardly read it. The shirt was her favorite shade of blue and had a picture of a cookie and a glace of milk 

on it. The inanimate objects had arms and legs and faces, and were giving each other a high five. Selphie had picked this one out – announcing that it was her favorite and that she discovered it at _Anchor Blue._

Nammah let out a sigh that sounded more like a humming noise. She had already made the decision to be happy whenever she reminisced about her memories on destiny Islands instead of sad. Her good time was nothing to cry over.

"Will?" Nammah asked, and he turned his head slightly towards her. No matter how far off in space he was, he was always completely aware of his surroundings. "Where's Jake?"

This much English Will could easily understand. Will reminded her that Jake had gone off to the bathroom. Nammah always easily forgot things.

"What time is it?" Nammah asked. Will just stared. She sighed, and translated her question. "_Quelle heure est-til_?"

Will held up two fingers. "_Duex Heures_, Sunday." He said the day in English, something he could also understand in English. They were somewhat similar to the way that the people in France said Sunday or Monday.

Nammah nodded her head. That sounded about right. Nammah stood up, stretched, and then told Will that she was going to find Jake. He was probably lost if he hadn't come back by now.

Nammah was pretty sure she had gotten lost herself after ten minutes. The airport was so _big._ Luckily, she hadn't heard the arrival of her plane called out yet. Still, she moved hastily and made sure to look everywhere so she wouldn't have to go in circles.

It ticked her off when someone would look at her and just stare. Especially when she asked for directions. Yes, she had a French accent. Yes, she was very petit. And was it so weird that her eyes were slightly red?

Grumbling, Nammah turned a corner into a less crowded waiting area. She had walked by every bathroom on a map of the airport that someone had given her. Nammah wondered why someone would waste time making a map of an _airport_, but she was grateful.

As Nammah looked around the room, she saw just how little people populated its four walls. The rest of the airport was so crowded that it was hard to move around. Looking back down at her map, ready to walk through another door that would lead her to another crowd of annoying gawkers.

Somebody had stopped her before she was within five feet of the door. She looked up to see that it was Jake. "Jake!" she said, relived.

Jake looked at the map in her hands, not even bothering to ask about where she got a map of an airport. "I thought you couldn't read," he said, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"The symbols make it pretty easy. The little boy and girl figures over tiny rooms mean that's a bathroom." Nammah stated, all too proud of herself. Jake rolled his eyes. "Anyways, our plane'll be here soon. Might as well get moving."

When Nammah started to walk away, back tracing her steps, Jake didn't follow. She turned around, puzzled, only to see a huge and wicked smile plastered on his face.

"Jake?" Nammah asked, confused at his grinning. "What are you doing?"

"Do you honestly want to get on that plane?" Jake asked, folding his arms. He looked excited for something.

"Uh, duh I don't. Does it look like I have a choice here?"

Jake stretched out his hand for her. "Come on," he coaxed, taking a step back. Nammah hardly believed what she saw. What was he doing? Were they going to run away? _Together_? Jake had always been the one to take her back home, not disobey the law with her.

"Where are we going?" Nammah smiled so big she felt like her mouth might fall off her face. She looked around to see if Will was anywhere near, looking for them.

She began to follow hastily after Jake to find the airports exit.

"To spend a day in London," his eyes looked dreamy, "I've always wanted to see London anyways."

As they got outside, they made a break for it and ran so fast it was like their lungs might burst. They laughed and disappeared off in the distance, through vast and endless crowds full of the kind of fun and adventure Nammah liked best.

**000**

Roxas was terrified when he saw that no one was flying the helicopter. It was empty. _Flying itself._ Kim had seen it long before he did. She collapsed and whined to herself, cursing, wishing for death. This really was it. She wasn't joking. Even if someone did come for them, they'd be frozen by tomorrow, he was sure.

There was no hope.

They were going to die out here.

His heart sank to rock bottom, to worn out from hoping and wishing to panic. It barely beated, off key and leaving a horrible pain in his chest. He wrapped his arms around himself, as if to cover the growing hole in his stomach. He sat down, his numb legs unable to hold him up much longer. This would be the last time he'd fall. He'd stay down forever now.

Kim, a terrifying wreck, shrieked and screamed and sobbed like it was all she knew how to do anymore. Unafraid, because he was already going to die, _scooted_ closer to her. She was on her knees; bend over 

so her face was in the dirt. She continued to yell through it, her voice cracking at every syllable. How she found any strength in her body to break so bad Roxas could not figure out. He was exhausted. All he, _they_, could do now was wait. Wait for death.

**000**

When Kim had worn herself out, which was very quickly, she passed out right there outside the cave. Roxas rolled her over and tried to drag her inside the cave, and gave up when they were just barely inside. So tired he couldn't see straight, he flopped over onto Kim, who lay unmoving, and faded off. Her stomach, which his head had landed on, was rather warm despite the agonizing cold.

**000**

Roxas awoke very stiff… And alone. He lifted his head alone, instantly aware that Kim was missing again. She'd always managed to wake up first. Confused, he looked around and found her huddled up in the corner on the wall opposite of him. He waited until he could just barely feel his limbs and crawled over towards her.

She was awake, but not by much, and she wasn't very aware of him. When he was just within reach of her, he stopped, satisfied. It hurt too much to move any further.

When he reached out and touched her hand, she inhaled sharply. She turned her head to look at him too fast and then winced in pain, rubbing her neck with also-numb limbs. Roxas noticed that Kim had taken off her shoes and socks completely. The deep grey was traveling up her leg now, and her pinky toe on her left foot was completely black, from what he could tell.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked, concerned more than he'd ever cared about her before. Sure, she meant a lot to him before they even got to Alaska, but it was different now. She was all that he had left. She was the last face he'd ever see. Nothing else mattered anymore, not even his own life. All he saw when he closed his eyes, all he thought about, and all he would worry about was Kim. His soul revolved around her because now, ready to die, she was the most precious thing that he had ever known. Kim didn't answer, but looked down at herself. It was obvious that she wasn't okay.

Roxas touched her foot softly, and looked up at her under his eyelashes, checking for any sign of pain. He felt so horrible. If he hadn't been such an idiot… If he would've just left the snow on the ground… He wished that there was some way he could keep Kim alive long enough to save her life at least. If there was any way she could still live on. He felt awful that she was in far worse condition than he was, though they were both beat up.

"Does that hurt?" He asked, rubbing her foot a little.

Kim shook her head weakly. "I can't really feel in my feet anymore."

Roxas noticed that her skin, when he grabbed for her hands, was still much hotter than it should've been. He laid his palm flat on her forehead and frowned. She had a fever. "Damn." He mumbled, almost too afraid to touch her now. Everything he touched he ruined.

He released her hand and moved to lean against the wall next to her, and sighed. It hurt to simply breathe with a throat as dry as his. And his hunger… It was just ridiculously painful now.

"Roxas?" Kim asked, trying to sound better than she was. She still wanted to be strong. Roxas's eyes hurt with dry tears. She was always much stronger than he was. Even now.

"Hm?" he hummed, tilting his head towards her. She tried to smile at him.

Kim opened her mouth, but closed it again. She looked down, back up, and open and shut her mouth again. Finally, "I'm sorry."

"I'm the sorry one." Roxas scooted closer, till they were touching, though he was still afraid he might hurt her further. "Please don't say _you're_ sorry."

"Roxas-"

"Stop it!" Roxas tuned her voice out momentarily. He would not let her blame herself for his stupidity.

There was a long silence, and Kim broke it by choking out a yawn. He eyes half shut, still hanging on a sting. Roxas's heart panicked, beating even more off key. What if she didn't wake up again? What would he do if she died first? The thought was so horrifying and so nakedly terrifying that had wrapped his arms around her a fraction of a second later, using ever ouch of his strength to holder as close to his body as possible. Nothing could tear her from him – this was it. They were on their last hours. If this was the last, if this was it, he was going to spend his very last moments holding the definition of precious as close to him as possible.

Kim gasped for breath, but managed to return his embrace. Without quite so much force, but all she had. He could only hope and pray that she felt the same.

Which she did. She'd come to all of the same conclusions. All the same understandings.

Unable to contain the pain that welled up inside his chest, Roxas howled and wailed into the curve of her neck, soaking her. He shook with the tears, holding on tighter until it hurt. Kim was on the brink of passing out again, but she still held nothing back. What was left of her consciousness was fully alive.

"Roxas," she tried to calm him, though tears still threatened to stream from her eyes as well. "Roxas breathe."

He tried to obey her. If she wished it, he would jump off the cliff. He let go just barely, so he'd be able to look Kim in the face one last time while she was conscious. Her eyes, though they were pale and nearly lifeless, still amazed him. He wanted to cry harder at what he would be losing.

It was obvious that Kim was trying not to erupt into tears again as she whipped his face dry with her sleeve. She massaged his cheekbone lightly, shaking from the chill breeze that swept through the cave. When exhaustion had calmed them both down enough, a good 20 minutes later of just staring and sniffling, they were leaned against the cave wall again, still huddled up as close as they could get. Roxas caressed her cheek with his left hand, his face leaned against hers so that he was looking over her and his lips were pressed against her forehead. His free hand gripped hers.

Their breathing slowed, evened, and the hysteria was over. Finally able to focus without falling apart, they said their goodbyes. It was silent at first, a simple comforting touch of their hands. Roxas buried his face in her hair, just taking her in, finding a happiness in the face that at least she'd been awake long enough for him to properly say goodbye forever.

Breaking the silence, Kim kissed his Adams apple. She felt like being completely honest. "I'm glad you're the last a face I'll ever see. Some sort of a happy ending."

Roxas hated for her to think like that. "What about in heaven?" He asked, though he had yet to believe in such a forgiving place. Could it ever really exist?

"Heaven…" Kim hummed, rubbing his thumb with her finger.

Roxas nodded slightly. Kim thought it over for a few seconds.

"Do you think I'll get in?"

Roxas lifted his face to look at her again. He put on a brave face and smiled to the best of his ability. "Definitely."

Kim stifled a weak laugh. This made Roxas really able to smile. She would be forever the strongest person he'd ever met.

At this Kim was satisfied. She finally closed her eyes and loosened her grip, ready to be taken away. But Roxas shook her. "Don't fall asleep yet." He whispered, lifting her face up with his thumb. "Just this one last thing."

He kissed her softly, his touch ever so gentle. In that brief, sweet moment, he could not breathe. Swimming inside the feeling, he closed his eyes tightly. He hoped that this _was _a happy ending to an unfortunate story he'd never get to tell. He'd give anything for a few more moments and Kim leaned on him.

He parted from her, and then pressed his lips to the skin on her ear. He squeezed her hand one last time and, honestly able to admit that he really, truly meant it, he whispered, "I love you."

Kim had started to say it back, but drifted away too quickly. Her breathing slowed and she slept, unmoving and absolutely beautiful despite her condition. Roxas was quick to follow her, but never let go of her hand.

Never in a million years would he ever let go.

**000**

"Oh my God." Namine gasped, covering her mouth when the three simplest of words escaped Riku's mouth with such pain that she felt it herself. And then a horrible feeling shot up her spine and was to unbearable that she could not even cry.

"_Roxas is dead." _

She had been relieved when he'd made it home from wherever he was, but he'd sat her down so he could talk to her one on one. He wasn't looking so good from the moment he walked into the door. His eyes were red like he hadn't slept in years, and he couldn't talk smoothly. As he explained everything that was happened before he got to the whole _our best friend is dead _thing, he constantly had to stop to gather himself.

Namine sobbed, leaning into him, but found no comfort inside his arms. All she wanted to do was scream for her loss. She soaked his shirt, crying until no tears were left.

The same pain she'd felt for her mother returned ever so strongly. Memories from all the way back at camp flashed through her head. Everyone, Roxas especially, had accepted her so fast… What was she supposed to do now, without him there to be one of her best friends? Was he watching her now? Was that possible?

Did everyone else know too?

Her tears lulled her back into the sleep she'd missed out on this morning. Why was God putting her though the same thing twice? What had she done?

When she awoke, she knew all too well the torture and long hours that would come.

**000**

Roxas was pretty sure he was dreaming, because he could not feel anything but how cold he was. There was a loud noise in the distance, and everything was dreadfully too light for his eyes. Someone was talking, worried, making heavy steps on the rocky floor.

Roxas lazily opened his eyes to the dreamland to see that one of the talking people were carrying a dark figure away.

"Kim…" he choked, but someone knelt over him.

"Don't you worry, boy," he assured, and then his vision blurred worse. Too dead beat to possibly be able to do anything more, Roxas just laid there until he was being carried away as well.

Maybe these strange people were the angels come to take him away.

__

_**To be continued….**_

**A/N: **I had to extend the whole thing with Roxas and Kim. You'll see why the helicopter was flying itself in the next chapter, promise.

Didn't I tell you I'd quick with the short chapters? They will be normal length now, so I can finish this up by the time school lets out. I hope you liked this chapter!

Oh, that's about the last you see of Nammah, Will, and Jake. Their coming wasn't pointless; they were supposed to show up again in AS3 but I might not write it. Just cross your fingers.

_**So where have I been? **_

Let's see: Internet gets nasty virus, then internet goes down. This chapter sits on my internet-less computer till the internet on the laptop works again. Mandy (me) is sad. Then Mandy get's a new Wii! Then Mandy goes shopping with Brianna and gets a great (but distracting) book! Finally, internet is back up. Mandy updates.

I'll try to update faster (I do have to be finished soon, anyways). Have a great weekend!

-Cracker-Jacks


	68. The Long Ride Home

**A/N: **Update. :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom hearts. Everything but names and looks belongs to me (personalities, plot, blah blah).

**Chapter 68**

All Roxas could remember when he awoke was how loud it had been when the strange angels took him. He had passed out soon after he could not feel the ground below him, knowing somehow that Kim was okay.

He ached and yearned to see where he was now, but his vision failed him for a second time. He could make out nothing – there was only white. He tried to move his arms or his legs but he was paralyzed and gasping for breath. He could just barely make out a faint _beep_ in the background.

He was still very cold, and only felt colder as flashes from the past three days rushed though his head at a violent pace. He whimpered, unable to hear his own voice, only the _beeping_. Sweat rolled down his forehead and he shivered, terrified at the image of Kim in his mind. Oh, where was he now? Why wasn't he dead already?

The beeping increased as the visions in his head got more and more intense. He bared his teeth and groaned though them, searching for the strength to move.

He could hear panicked voices now - someone was talking very fast. His hearing came to him faster now. The _beeping_ became louder and he could hear his breathing.

And then he could see. Almost clearly. Moaning again, he flopped his head to the side and opened his eyes to two people leaning over him and one standing next to the machine that made the _beeping_ noises. They looked surprised to see him staring back at them wearing the same mask of confusion.

And then Roxas could tell where he was. He was at a hospital.

His chest ached with pain suddenly, a chill running up his spine, and he opened his mouth to shout but was answered before he even got the chance to ask.

"She's in the next room."

Roxas opened his mouth again, but was once more interrupted.

"She'll be fine."

Roxas relaxed at this, relief sweeping over him. Finally he could breathe right, knowing that whether or not he was dreaming, Kim was okay right now.

The beeping slowed, and someone sighed, and then Roxas was sleeping again. He slept through another 24 hours before he awoke again.

**000**

Riku carried Namine to their room after she'd passed out from all the crying. He felt terrible himself, and knew that he should probably get some rest too, but he just couldn't stop thinking. This all felt surreal – he couldn't quite believe it. There was a strong part of him that wouldn't.

Not only wouldn't, but couldn't. The story seemed so farfetched – how could anything like this really happen? Sora had completely broken down, Roxas's parents wouldn't even answer the front door, and all Wakka and Tidus did was sit on the beach, just staring… And only God knows where Kairi went! As for the rest of his friends – he had no idea if they even knew.

Riku felt terrible for having to be the one to break the bad news to Namine. She'd already lost her mother – now one of her best friends? He could not imagine the pain she must've been in, even in sleep. She tossed and turned and said very disturbing things. He worried, sitting there by the bed, wondering what kind of a bad dream she was having. He was half tempted to wake her – just because it had gotten that bad. Her forehead was sweaty and hot and though she was unconscious, she still cried.

Most of the things she sleep talked were about her mother, though, he noticed. And partially about her life in traverse town, which he knew little to none about. He stroked her hair as if that would soothe her. Jynx, who he had let out of the prison that was their closet, jumped up onto the bed and curled himself into a ball at Namine's shaking feet. He licked her toes, which lay uncovered, and purred a humming noise.

Leaving her side for just a moment, leaving the cat to look after her, Riku stumbled up the stairs to the kitchen. Just as he was about to grab a water bottle from the kitchen, someone started knocking on the door. It was an impatient and furious knock, almost made him not want to answer.

He hurried, not wanting to leave Namine by herself for much longer. When he opened the door he almost shut it and turned right back around after making sure to lock every window in the house. Blake, grim as ever, stood on the porch. He glared at Riku in revulsion.

"Where is she?" Blake demanded.

Riku lingered by the door, frozen in shock. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head, letting long silver hair fall over his face and cover his minty eyes. "Hey, now's not the best time…"

Blake pushed passed him, but Riku grabbed his arm.

"Hey, man! What the hell are you doing?" Riku, suddenly harsh and unforgiving, asked.

Blake was blunt. He only stopped briefly to glare ruthlessly. "I'm taking her."

"You're _what_?" Riku was appalled, and kind of scared. He wanted Blake out of his house and hundreds of miles away in Traverse town.

Then Blake looked at him so seriously – his eyes were so dull and sick but livid, and Riku was struck by fear. Never had he been so afraid of any one person.

"Get out of my way," Blake snarled, hissing through bared teeth. Despite how terrified Riku was, he did not budge. The really pissed Blake off. Normally, people fled at just the sight of him.

Riku managed to cough up a, "Never."

**000**

The next day when Roxas woke up he had been informed that he was still in Alaska, in a hospital quite some ways away from their hotel. For the last three days, people really were trying to find them. They were on the news all over – the entire state of Alaska and some parts of Washington and Canada knew about their (Roxas and Kim) missing status.

All the other kids on the tour were sent home days early and the tour guides, just a couple of teachers, were fighting getting brought to court and sued. The whole school – for that matter. The news had spread like wildfire. People wrote about them in articles and their faces were on missing person flyers everywhere.

The nurses gushed at Roxas's bravery and told him over and over about how this would probably be written in history as one of the most shocking survival stories ever told.

"And I'll be able to say 'I met those kids!'" One of the nurses cooed, clasping her hands together. Another was stroking Roxas's hair, which was tousled and full of dirt.

Roxas was not allowed to get up. He asked about Kim and they said that Kim hadn't woken up once yet. Roxas was not permitted to go see her until the doctor got to really take a good look at Roxas's condition. He was so caught up in trying to take care of Kim that Roxas was still mostly untreated. Most other doctors were on a short vacation, clueless as to who was in their hospital.

Fame was something Roxas didn't want right now, though, despite his usual "look at me" attitude. All he wanted was to see Kim. To scream and yell and shout – no matter how much that annoyed her – about their survival. But then a dreadful thought came to mind.

Did his friends know they were missing?

"N-nurse," Roxas stuttered, interrupting their conversation about him. He made eye contact with one and she smiled gingerly at him.

"When are we going home?" Roxas inquired, clearing his throat. The nurse frowned.

"Maybe another day or so. But news that you're alive is already on the way. "And then the nurse was smiling again, resembling a Barbie doll. Roxas would have snickered if he wasn't picturing his parents in his mind. Did _they_ know? Were they getting rid of his stuff right now that sat in his apartment two blocks from their house? Was somebody else moving in to take his place?

Roxas shook his head. He wasn't going to torture himself anymore. He'd had enough.

"I want to go home now," he requested, and one of the nurses petted his hair.

"Honey, that's not possible."

"_Why?_" Roxas whined like a little kid. He widened his blue eyes and quivered his bottom lip, hoping to dazzle the nurse hovering over him who – obviously – was already infatuated with him. "What a brave, handsome young man" she kept saying, while the other nurses just giggled.

The nurse paused, sighed, and absorbed the full effect of Roxas's eyes. Roxas wondered why this never worked with Kim for one stupid moment, and then remembered how much it annoyed her. Like all other things. Despite how much he usually hated Kim's attitude, he really missed it right now.

"Can I _please_ see Kim?" Roxas asked, forgetting about the other question he'd asked as Kim's image fluttered into his mind once more.

The nurses deliberated, and then nodded. What could it hurt?

Roxas tried to get up all on his own. Everything still hurt – but he would concur it. He'd been through worse.

He swung his stiff legs over the bed and stumbled to his feet, leaning on the wall for balance. One of the nurses stayed by his side, starting to take on the traits of a Labrador retriever. She opened the door for him and he stumbled out, ignoring the pain in his feet and the shakiness of his legs. He felt like one big thing of jell-o.

Kim's room was right next door, and nobody was in it with her right now. The nurse let him go in and stood by the door, protecting his privacy and her job. God knows what the doctor would do if he came back and found out that she let him even stand on his own two feet untreated.

Kim was unconscious, still. She looked much better though as he got closer and scanned her face. The dirt and the blood were washed off and the scratches seemed healthier and un-infected. There was a small, purple bruise on her neck right under her chin and the bags under her eyes were faded a bit.

Roxas smiled, feeling her smooth, dark brown hair. Unlike his, it had been washed of dirt and other things from the wilderness. Lying there, she seemed even more gorgeous than before.

Roxas had hoped that she might – by some miraculous miracle – wake up as he approached her. He worried as she continued to sleep soundly, her long black eyelashes touching the bags under her eyes. He caressed her cheek for a moment before he was quickly called out of the room by the panicked nurse.

"Hurry!" she insisted, pushing him into his own room. "he's coming!"

When Roxas was back in bed, he sulked, turning from the nurses stubbornly. Even though he knew it wasn't their fault that he couldn't stay longer.

"Let's just let him rest some more," one of the nurses suggested, and hushed approvals were followed. Roxas was petted one last time, then said goodnight too, and was alone once more. They went as far as turning the light off. Blind until his eyes adjusted, Roxas laid there motionless, blank and not really thinking about one thing in particular.

He stared, waiting, feeling drowsy still but completely awake.

**000**

Blake just stared. Still terrified, Riku just stared back in a deadly silence. Blake was glaring daggers and Riku couldn't breathe, so scared that he thought he might be paralyzed. What was with this guy?

He did notice, though, that there was a hint of shock hidden in Blake's mind-numbing eyes. Feeling confidence Riku thought he'd lost, He stepped back and held the door open for Blake, pointing outside. Blake did not budge, but definitely seemed slighted. He probably wasn't used to being stood up to.

When Blake continued to stand his ground, Riku was impatient and the anger in his chest began to bubble up. "_Move_." He demanded, tightening his grip on the door knob.

Riku was stunned when Blake did as he was told. Blake's intense stare never left Riku's face as he deliberately took his time leaving, his tall frame intimidating Riku's. Riku thought for a split moment as Blake was closer to him that Blake might attack him. The way he stared… It sent shivers up his spine and made him was to close his eyes.

"Don't think I won't be back soon for her," Blake warned, and Riku knew that Blake meant it. He would be back, and he would bring neither pity, nor mercy with him. Riku already started thinking of escape plans.

**000**

When Roxas awake he was surprised to find that he was moved from his room. And still moving, at that…

He woke up suddenly, like you do when your alarm clock goes off. He inhaled sharply, opening his eyes too fast to the light and his eyes burned. He was sitting limply in the backseat of a car, leaned against the door. The right side of his face felt numb from being pressed against the cold glass of the window, and he rubbed it as he waited for his eyes to adjust.

He didn't move much besides lifting his head to stare at the seat in front of his that was empty. His shoes, which he was surprised to find back on his feet, were under the seat in front of him, stretched out and tired.

His faded blue jeans, which he was also surprised to be wearing, fit loosely and comfortably over his legs. They were clean and warm in the humid little car that was so different from the snowy world around them. He was wearing a dark T-shirt and one of his many jackets that he'd brought along as well.

He flexed his toes inside his shoes and sighed, feeling normal again. Like he hadn't just almost died.

He ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair and closed his eyes for a moment, thanking whatever it was that had saved him.

"Roxas…" At the sound of this voice he was instantly alert. He whipped his head almost too fast to the seat next to his where, sure enough, Kim sat. Awake, okay, and treacherously wonderful. Roxas would've thrown himself at her if it hadn't been for his seatbelt.

"Kim!" he gasped, blinking several times and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. She seemed so alive, so healthy…

She said nothing, just stared. There was no agitation or annoyance in her eyes like there usually was. Roxas couldn't really read them this time. Her blackish-brown hair fell smoothly over her head and her shoulders, and her eyes were a dramatic shade of silver. All they did for the longest time was just stare at each other.

And then Kim half-smiled, sighing. There was such an immense volume of joy bubbling up in Roxas's chest that he thought he might explode into a million little blissful pieces. He reached out sitting up straight, barely able to get his arms around her. She laughed silently into the curve of his neck, clutching his light black jacket.

Their reunion was short as the car came to a stop and they were dragged out of the car. Outside waited an airport, and they were informed that they'd finally be going home.

**000**

The driver of the car was their escort as well, and he walked the two shivering teenagers inside the airport while carrying most of their bags. What he could not carry, Roxas volunteered to carry. He was feeling well enough to do so.

On the way to wherever they'd be waiting for their plane, their escort explained all about the self-flying helicopter and how they'd gotten to the hospital. The helicopter was a prototype… An expensive one. They were trying it out over the vast expansion of land and, thankfully, it had a camera attached to it. When they saw the video everyone was freaking out – "It's a miracle!" people who knew of the missing persons kept shouting. "They're alive!"

They sent the tape to the nearest news station, and now it was playing over and over again on everyone's TV. Kim felt a little nervous, but was flattered at all the attention they received from passing tourists while waiting for their plane. Roxas was finally letting all this sink in – how people were going to remember their story. The interviews they'd probably get asked to do. What's more is that most people who liked Blitz Ball already knew his name.

He smirked as more people came by to talk to them, drawing a small crowd. Kim seemed annoyed, but she was taking it. She wasn't the kind of person that relished attention. Not anymore, anyways. She was 

still a cruel bitch to most everyone, but it wasn't like at camp last year when she went around making sure everyone knew what a badass she was. Roxas snickered at the thought. She was still Kim, but not Kim, if that makes sense.

Finally their plane came and they were put in first class. It seemed like half the flight home they were signing autographs, though. People stared at them, aw-struck, and Kim had started getting irritable after the first twenty minutes of the flight back home.

"This is ridiculous," she grumbled, shrinking in her seat. Roxas patted her knee, half laughing, and she swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me."

Roxas rolled his eyes. He knew that in less than a week they'd probably be mostly back to their old selves. But they would always take with them what they got from the long days spent slowly dying together. It was embedded into his heart as well as hers and they'd remember it through the hard times and the good times.

"Whoa. Sorry." Roxas just laughed, and could have sworn he saw a smile creeping onto Kim's lips as he chuckled. She tried to hide it by glaring at the tourists, looking disgusted.

"Just wait. They'll start taking pictures." Kim shook her head in repulsion, almost hissing.

"Not if you scare them first."

"Roxas!"

_**To Be Continued**_

**A/N: **Okay, sort of in-between normal length and short. But at least it didn't take three weeks to update! Yay!

_**Me?**_

Still reading that distracting book.

-Cracker-Jacks000 (Bam!)


	69. See You Soon

**A/N: **So schools over. A few more chapters left, and this'll be done. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Kingdom Hearts, I would live on snob hill in a ridiculously large mansion.

**Chapter 69**

Roxas was bored half to death sitting in the principal's office with Kim. He mimicked the way she leaned her head into her hand and sighed, and then she glared at him. The principal went on and on about how much trouble they were in for getting themselves lost.

"Hey, look," Roxas had been the only one talking back. Kim simply sat there, half staring off into space, "it's not like we were _trying_ to die."

The principal ignored him and kept on with his speech, "what you did was irresponsible and dangerous and downright-"

"Hey, I get it. Okay? You're talking my ear off." Roxas groaned, wishing he could see his parents. As soon as they got back home, about the time school starts, they were brought here instead of where they really needed to be. "Let's just wrap this up and call it a day."

The principal continued to ignore him, "so should be thankful we're not expelling you! For all-"

Kim finally spoke up. "Oh. My God." Her sigh was low and annoyed. "The only reason you're not expelling us is because our parents would probably sue you. This is _your_ fault, not ours. If anything, you should be on your knees begging us for forgiveness." She got to her feet and grabbed her bag, as well as Roxas arm. She yanked him up to his feet and began pulling him towards the exit. "And even if you expelled us anyway, I wouldn't care. I don't want to be a part of this crappy, lame ass school anyways." With that she had stormed out of the room, Roxas in tow.

Roxas attempted to clap his hand through her iron grip. "Bravo!" he applauded, blissful that their meeting with the principal was over. He'd spent enough mornings in that cramped little room…

**000**

Namine at her desk with no emotion and just stared at the white wall, waiting for class to start. Riku pulled up a chair next to hers and waited with her silently, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. Namine had been lifeless ever since she woke up, like she had no emotion left in her at all. She looked as though she hadn't slept in ages and Riku knew he probably shouldn't have brought her to school. As well as being practically dead, she said nothing to him all morning.

Riku could hardly focus, though. His head was still spinning with disbelief about Roxas. The others (Sora, Kairi, Wakka, Tidus, Selphie, Pence, Olette, and Hayner especially) stayed home, and he hadn't heard a word from them ether. He imagined they were acting just like Namine – no will to do anything. Riku's disbelieve was what drove him to school and Namine out of bed. He tried to act like nothing had happened, because he just couldn't believe anything had.

Riku looked at the clock and sighed, rubbing his neck that was sore from hanging off the edge of the chair. Class didn't even start for ten more minutes. If he really wanted to, he could probably just take Namine back home…

"Ohmigosh, did you hear?" A girl outside gushed, leaning against the frame of the door. "About those kids from our school?"

"Oh yeah," the other girl looked dramatically more upset than the one gushing. "I feel so bad about that. I sort of hope our school get's sued for that. We'd get out of school early anyways."

"The charges were dropped," the one leaning against the door frame informed, but continued to smile.

"What?" The other girl seemed outraged.

Riku noticed from the corner of his eye that Namine's head had turned slightly towards the door, and she was listening to their conversation.

"I guess they found them," The smiling girl said, "or at least that's what's going around the school. My friend even said that she _saw_ them walking through the halls!"

Namine stood suddenly, all of the emotion she had been holding back burning out of her eyes that were suddenly radiant with anger. She pushed the desk forward as she stood up, making a loud _screeching_ noise. The sound echo hoed off the walls and the two girls looked at Namine, their faces full of realization as they scanned Riku and Namine's faces. Everyone had gotten quiet around them this morning, knowing that Roxas had been in their large group of friends.

Namine's fisted were tightened, her nails embedding themselves into her palm. She glared fiercely at the two girls for a moment, and then began approaching them with heavy feet like she might attack. "How _dare_ you talk about his death so lightly!" She snarled, and the girls took a few steps back. "How dare you talk about him at all! He's dead, okay? Dead! Your friends are liars!" Just as she had reached the two girls, she stormed right past them and made a break for it down the hall.

Riku jumped to his feet and after her, glancing once in the girls' direction. Their eyes were wide with shock and confusion, and their feet were frozen in place as they watched the two run down the hall.

It was all Riku could do to catch up with Namine. They pushed past crowds who gladly stepped out of their way knowingly, and Riku followed Namine all the way to the exit of the school.

**000**

"Damn rain," Roxas and Kim were in the school parking lot, trudging their way through the storm to the nearest bus stop. "We were supposed to come back to summer."

Kim rolled her eyes, pulling the hood of her donated rain coat over her head. Her soaked, blackish brown hair stuck to her face uncomfortably and her legs wobbled a little, still weak. Their escort was probably still inside, because his car was empty, but they didn't feel like walking back inside to find him. 

Taking the bus would be easier anyways. No one to constantly chew their ears off about how famous they'd be. As if. Everyone would probably forget about this whole thing in a matter of weeks.

Roxas was close to her side, almost bumping into her as they walked. One of his hands held his jacket shut while the other was full with his cell phone. He'd left it at the hotel and had gotten it back on their way home. "How did so many people get my number?" Roxas snickered, still amused by how much attention he was getting. "People already know we're alive. That was fast."

Kim glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes. They reached a bench and waited, taking a seat though it was soaking.

"Insurance companies, a bunch of long distance numbers, offers to be in commercials-"Roxas paused, and snickered again, "I might take them up on that one."

Kim exhaled loudly, annoyed. "I'd rather you not."

Roxas laughed. "I'm kidding. It would pay my rent, though."

"I didn't know that you moved out of your parents' house already."

"I'm old enough to. They said I could get an apartment, as long as it was close to home. I live right down the street from them."

Kim nodded, but said nothing. Suddenly there was a sleek black car pulled up in front of them and the window rolled down, revealing an annoyed and slightly confused man. Their escort for the day.

"Please don't do that again," he begged, and there was a click as he unlocked all the doors. He bent his head inward, signaling them to get in.

**000**

Namine's pace finally slowed as they reached the sidewalk across from the school. Riku managed to keep an even pace with her. She had gone completely silent again and the only noise left was the splashing of shallow puddles as they trudged through the rain.

"You okay?" Riku had asked at some point, when they were still in the school parking lot (and almost run over by a little black car). Namine "Hn" 'd in reply, monotone once more.

Shortly after Namine had slowed down, she came to a complete halt, her eyes glued across the street from them. The little black car was sitting on the corner of the sidewalk, and two familiar figures were getting in. Anyone could spot Kim's steely silver eyes anywhere, as well as Roxas's vivid blonde hair that shined slightly even in the rain.

Riku's stomach dropped to the floor. He knew it. _He knew it_! Nothing had felt right about the news and he was right!

"Roxas!" Namine hollered, already halfway down the street. But the car was already rolling away from her, and the two heads in the backseat never turned around despite her screaming.

Namine gave up, standing in the middle of the street, but she laughed. She got to a point of hysteria where she couldn't breathe and tears were rolling down her cheeks – Riku couldn't tell if it was tears from crying, joy, or that it was just rain. "_He's alive_!" she chanted over and over again, still laughing and smiling.

Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets. He half grinned, not really surprised. Roxas was always one to get himself into trouble. He couldn't wait to hear about it later.

"You didn't get to see him." Riku pointed out. Namine spun around on her heel and smiled brightly, laughing through her teeth.

"Who cares? _He's alive_!"

**000**

Sora hadn't gotten out of bed in two days. He lay lifeless, a puppet, unable to eat or speak. He seemed only capable of staring and breathing slowly, sighing from time to time. His mother checked on him every hour on the hour and sat a moment, waiting for something to happen, before she simply patted her son on his head and went back to whatever she was doing before.

At night Sora would keep his parents up with his talking – sometimes screaming – all in his sleep. His mother worried, knowing that Sora had always been the silent sleeper. She was tempted to call a doctor or _something_. Anything to help her son.

Everyone was grieving over the loss of Roxas. Roxas's parents had come over and stayed most of the day, though they didn't talk much. They sat on the couch in the living room with Sora's parents, trying not to think about their son. They came for comfort from Sora's parents but nothing was going to help them heal. The months to come, they were sure, would be hard.

Sora's phone had been ringing so much that he just set it to vibrate and laid it at the bottom of his bed so he couldn't see it. It was partially damaged from being flinged across the room, and Sora's father managed to put it back together.

Sora checked his phone a few times in the past few days hoping that, somehow, Roxas would call. He'd stare at the screen for long period of time, as if that would work. Kairi had come over constantly, worried, but Sora's mother kept sending her home claiming Sora needed more rest.

Sora's body lay so close to the edge of the bed that if he moved over another inch he'd fall off. He let his right arm hang as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. He thought about getting up a few times but his body refused. He didn't want to look at anything but his phone. If he saw another thing that would remind him about Roxas, he might explode into a million pieces.

When his phone began to vibrate again, he didn't bother move anything but his right arm. He scooped it up with his hand and looked at the screen, and suddenly his heart stopped.

Roxas's number was on the caller ID.

**000**

Roxas knew that his parents knew he was alive. He knew they were waiting, not so patiently, and that he should've gone to see them first. Instead, he stopped just short of their house and checked out his apartment.

Kim followed him, and waited by his side as he kneeled down and grabbed his key from under the mat.

"What's with the detour?" Kim finally asked as Roxas was unlocking the door, and then pushing it open. It was think and heavy.

Roxas answered honestly. "I don't know. I felt like seeing it."

They stepped inside and Roxas flicked on the light, and when he saw the part of the living room and kitchen that was visible from the hallway, everything seemed to be exactly the way he left it. The closer he got the more normal everything looked. Nobody had stepped foot inside his somewhat new home.

Kim traced her fingers along the white wall, still following Roxas as they rounded a corner into a small hallway with three doors. One of the doors was open, and inside the door the room was completely empty. Before Kim could ask Roxas explained that he didn't need two bedrooms. The door in the middle was the bathroom, and the other door lead to his room.

Roxas opened his bedroom door, hesitating a moment before he entered. He sighed in relief when he saw all the clothes scattered about the floor, the messy and unmade bed, The TV that sat crookedly on the dresser. Kim made a disgusted sound and waited by the door.

"You're a slob." She commented, scrutinizing him. Roxas ignored her completely.

He laughed and threw himself onto his bed, sighing again and smelling the sheets that reeked of him. Kim rolled her eyes and left back down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Roxas was in no hurry to follow her, but he was kind of anxious to see his parents now that he'd seen his apartment. He lifted himself to his feet and half-jogged to catch up with Kim. But Kim wasn't leaving like he thought she was. He found her sitting on his couch, staring blankly at the wall ahead of her.

"I wish I had my own place to live," she explained, leaning back into the couch. "My father gives me no freedom."

"He let you go to Hawaii… And the Bahamas," Roxas started counting on his fingers, "Alaska-"

"Yeah, but I always come back. He's afraid that I'll leave him like my mother did." Kim told, rising to her feet. She headed for the kitchen that was attached to the rooms he was already in. She felt over the smooth countertops.

"Oh." Roxas said, rubbing the back of his neck. There wasn't much he could say back to that.

"But that's okay. I can move out anytime I want to, I'm old enough. I just don't want to-"

"Leave him all alone?"

There was a pause.

"Right."

"Well, if you want to, you could move in here with me." Roxas suggested.

Kim thought of his room. "No, that's okay."

Roxas shrugged, leaning against the counter.

It was silent for a long time before Roxas couldn't take it anymore. He had to see his parents. "Alright, let's go." He said. Kim followed him out of the apartment silently.

The sleek car was still waiting there for the both of them. In less than a minute it was parked in front of Roxas's parents' house. Roxas took a deep breath and said goodbye to Kim, stepping out of the car. Then the car was gone, headed halfway across town to Kim's parents.

Roxas took another deep breath before entering his house.

He closed the door behind him quietly, trying to make as little noise as possible. He'd seen his parents' car in the driveway, so he knew they were hope. Did they know he was alive yet?

Roxas took careful steps towards the living room, and found no one sitting on the couch. He checked his dads office, and also found nothing but piles of unfinished paperwork. Nobody was in the kitchen, in any of the bedrooms, or even the bathrooms. Roxas even took the time to check the closets.

His stomach churned, and he felt nauseated. If there was anything he wanted more, it was to get this whole thing with his parents over with.

He threw himself on the couch, deciding that the only thing to do now was wait. He sat for a good ten minutes before a thought crossed his mind. Were his parents at Sora's house with Sora's parents? He imagined that that's where they'd be if there was ever a crises. And then he thought about Sora. He shuttered, and found his phone.

Sora's phone rang once, twice, three times, and someone finally picked up on the fourth ring. Sora's weak voice came through the receiver, sounding shocked and unbelieving. "H-hello?"

**000**

"_Hey, man." _

Sora fought tears. It was really Roxas on the other line. Roxas was alive!

Anger and hate coursed through Sora's body instead of relief. He wanted to scream again. "What the hell were you _doing _getting yourself lost?!"

"_Sorry."_

Sora growled. "I swear, the next time I see you I'm going to beat the crap out of your worthless corpse."

"_Calm down."_

Roxas's voice was soft, trying to comfort his friend. Sora took the comfort more than he probably should have, and felt the salt water swelling in his eyes again. His shaky voice made it obvious that he was going to erupt within a short period of time. "You're such an idiot!" He shrieked, repeating the words he had screamed just a few days ago.

"_Whoa whoa hey! Hey!"_Roxas's voice was frantic. "Don't_ start crying, Sora. Seriously." _

That didn't help at all. The tears spilled down Sora's face and his breathing became uneven, full of a million different emotions. ""You idiot!" he repeated.

"_Don't get all girly on me, please!" _Roxas begged. _"C'mon. I said I was sorry. Sorry!" _

"Where are you?" Sora asked, clearing his throat. He felt beyond embarrassed.

"_My parents house_."

"Your parents are here." Sora said, whipping under his eyes with his wrist. He sniffed.

"_I was going to ask about that."_

There was a pause. "Are you going to come down here?"

"_Will you beat me up?"_

Sora actually laughed. Relief started to wash through him the way it should have before. "Nah."

"_Sweet. You in ten minutes." _

Sora cleared his throat. He tried to sound as normal as possible, and smiled even though he knew Roxas couldn't see. "Yeah. See you soon."

_**To Be Continued**_

**A/N: **Review if you'd like to.

Next update: Next weekend for sure.

-Cracker-Jacks000


	70. Finding Peace

**A/N: **Wow. It feels weird that the stories almost over. Once this and summer boys is over with, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. I guess continue to write. I've already started a few books I'm planning on continuing. If I'm ever famous one day (coughasifcough) you know my first name. World, here comes Amanda! xD

Geez, ch. 70 already? (Okay, it came slow. But it feels fast to me). Gaspeth!

I'm feeling oddly giddy today. Ignore my randomness.

**Disclaimer: **I would love to say yes. But I can't. Blast.

**CHAPTER 70**

"My baby!" Roxas's mother, whose name was Teresa, cried over and over again as she wrapped her skinny, pale arms around her son in despair. She hadn't seen the light of day in what seemed to be forever and now it was suddenly shining down on her blindingly. She erupted in blubbers and sobs over her 'baby' and held him so tight that she very well may be suffocating him. A punishment and a 'I'm so glad to see you' all in one.

Roxas coughed once or twice in her iron grip, trying to hug her back but his arms were trapped against his chest because he'd tried to defend himself when his mother had jumped at him. "Hey mom," he coughed again, his voice sounding dry because he wasn't getting any air. He was suddenly glad that Kim wasn't by his side right now, because she'd be very amused at this point.

Roxas's father was plain infuriated. He had no desire to go anywhere near his son none-the-less touch him. While his mother sobbed, Roxas's father went on and on about what an irresponsible child he had been. How much he'd been worried over, as if he didn't already know. Roxas tried to ignore his ranting father and proved successful. It was almost imposable to hear anything but his mothers shrieks.

"My baby's back, my baby's back," she blubbered, and her tears continued to soak through Roxas's hair where his mother buried her face.

Just when Roxas thought her weeping would never end, it did. Abruptly, she pushed herself away from him and then there was a shrill pain on his left cheek. It burned like fire under his skin and made him recoil. Roxas let out a short howl, bending slightly and holding his face. Never was there a woman, not even Kim, with such a powerful slap as his mother. He could see the red turning to purple on his face, feel it.

Yes, Kim would be very amused.

"Don't you _ever _do anything like that again!" She screamed, almost literally to the top of her lungs. His father gladly continued his speech, ranting on beside his wife. Roxas groaned, still holding his face. He looked about the room for an excuse to escape his parents and found Sora standing in the open doorway, his arms crossed and his face unable to be read. Millions of different emotions played across his face, and Roxas groaned again. Why was nothing ever easy?

Sora mouthed 'hey.' Roxas half-smiled awkwardly in Sora's direction.

"You pay attention, boy!" Roxas's father shouted, getting Roxas's attention again. His mother was brimming with tears again.

Roxas was ordered to take a seat and he sat there with his parents standing over him shouting and screaming. He buried his head in his hands.

**000**

A week later and everything began to cool off a little. Since Roxas had gotten back, some of his friends (Like Namine, Riku, and Hayner) hadn't left his side. Others, so deep in their anger, refused to talk to him or give him a chance to explain. Kim had to ignore him while they were at school so no one would be suspicious, but that had the opposite effect. "Where's Kim?" Hayner would ask, noting that they were usually near each other. Often fighting. He asked about what had happened between them in Alaska, something to keep them from yelling at each other. Roxas would simply shake his head, promising to explain when Namine wasn't around.

Time started to pass normally, and people started to stop calling Roxas's cell within the second week. Kim was right: the fame would wear off. He didn't get much more on his phone now than he did because of his Blitz Ball team.

His friends, one by one, warmed back up to him and there seemed to be some kind of hope that things would be normal once more. And they were, about a month into his return. Random people around school stopped asking him questions, his friends were talking to him, and everyone who he hadn't told continued to be oblivious about Roxas and Kim, which was why they began hanging around each other again during school. Roxas still had all his fan girls, but he continued to be unaware of them.

"You know, I still think we should've been on that show _I Shouldn't Be Alive_," Roxas said one day as he walked with Kim towards their 5th period. Kim rolled her eyes, annoyed that he was still going on about that.

"That will never happen, so you might as well give up already," Kim said, stopping by the door of room 256.

"You're so positive."

The bell rang just as they walked into the classroom. They took a seat near the middle. Kim usually sat up front while Roxas at in back, so they'd compromised on the middle. They started to agree on thing more and more, and Roxas wasn't sure if he should be happy or scared about that.

As soon as school was out, they took the train back to twilight town together like they always had and went their separate ways. Everything was starting to fall back into routine, and Roxas hated it. At least there'd been some kind of excitement when he returned. Life back home seemed boring now, and Roxas didn't know what to do with himself.

How had he ever survived before? Yeah, he went to a lot of places and did a lot of things over the year, but how had he ever not been bored when he was home? After all the excitement, especially Alaska itself, there seemed to be nothing to do. He could go skateboarding, but he didn't want to go by himself. Axel and Reno were busy being forced to finish the requirements to graduate high school online, Kim had been too busy studying for finals lately to stop by his apartment, and all his other friends were pretty much doing the same.

Roxas got home and threw himself on the couch, grabbing his blitz ball from the floor as he went. He spun it around on his fingers, admiring the blue blur of color as he did so. He could call Tidus and Wakka and ask if they wanted to play a round of Blitz Ball. He _knew_ they weren't studying.

An hour later and he was on the beach, passing the ball back and forth, laughing for the short time he had something to do. The sun couldn't dangle in the sky forever. When it was time for his friends to go home, Roxas sat on the beach by himself. He sat a few yards away from where the ocean met the beach. The waster glistened in the setting sun, and sparkled then under the stars.

Roxas sighed, unable to appreciate nature. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them while his blitz ball lay at his side motionless. His thoughts drifted off into space and he thought for a moment that he might fall asleep until he heard footsteps approaching him, and then a sigh.

He knew that sigh anywhere.

"There you are," Kim settled in the sand next to him, pushing his ball out of the way.

Roxas was shocked to see here at… What was it? The middle of the night?

"What's up?" he asked, wondering why she wasn't at home sleeping.

"I looked everywhere for you. But I figured you might be here."

"I was playing Blitz Ball with Tidus and Wakka earlier," Roxas explained, falling back into the sand and lacing his fingers behind his head.

"And what are you doing now? Just sitting here?"

Roxas shrugged. "Pretty much."

It was silent for a moment and Roxas stared up at the sky and Kim looked down into the sand, drawing circles with her fingertips.

Finally, Roxas spoke again; "Any reason you came looking for me?"

There was another pause. And then, "I wanted to see you."

Roxas looked up at her when she turned her head around to look at him. He admired the way her silver eyes seemed more brilliant then the stars behind her. She'd tied her hair back in a loose ponytail and 

wore a simple cotton sweater that was redish in color to protect her from the cold. He wanted to reach out and protect her himself inside the shelter of his arms. How odd a feeling.

"Oh," Roxas whispered, though he had no idea why he could not speak at a normal volume.

Kim stared for another moment or two before she lay in the sand with him, and they both turned their attention to the night sky. Roxas found himself at peace with Kim at his side, which also felt sort of strange. He'd felt the need to be close to Kim more and more since they'd gotten back from their near-death experience. It really sucked that they couldn't be together normally because of their secret. He knew that if he ever told namine, she would refuse to understand. Not just namine, but many of his other friends would be confused and slightly furiated.

Kim was a whole different person to them; she was the essence of evil, she was hated by many for her ways, and she was the person who nearly sent Namine to the hospital. Roxas had been on their side once, and that seemed very wrong to him. He saw her differently now. There was a depth to her, an untouched beauty that he yearned to hold in his hands. She wasn't as strong as she looked but she was still the strongest person he knew. She'd been though much more than a normal human being should have to go though and she still kept her posture. She'd hurt him, avoided him, and even beat him, but through it all he'd still fallen in love with her.

He hoped that he was somewhat interesting compared to her.

**000**

Kim followed Roxas home later in the night. They were still in Twilight Town, and Roxas's house wasn't far from the lone beach. As they walked, Roxas latched onto her hand like he hadn't been able to in the past month. It still felt a little weird, but he knew that would ware off. The desire to feel the warmth radiating under the skin of Kim's palm overruled anything else.

When he reached his apartment, he stopped in front of his door, realizing something. "Where's your car?" Roxas asked, and Kim's eyes grew a little at her forgetfulness and lack of planning.

"A taxi drove me here. I didn't want my dad to know I was gone so I left without the car." Kim told, sighing deeply at herself.

Roxas opened his front door and held out his hand, gesturing for her to go inside. He did not mind at all that Kim would be spending the night. Kim sighed once more and walked in ahead of him, shrugging off her sweater and throwing it on the couch. She sat down there, only to be pulled back up to her feet seconds later.

"I'll sleep on the couch. You can sleep in my room."

Kim shook her head violently.

"No, it's okay. I don't mind."

Kim swallowed. "No, it's just that your room is a pig sty."

Roxas almost laughed. "I cleaned it."

Kim raised an eyebrow. This was very unlike Roxas. "And what possessed you to do that?"

"There's not much to do around here."

"I still think I'll be fine out here."

Roxas ignored her and steered her to his bedroom. The door was already open and he left it like that, walking her in a couple of feet. His room was in fact pretty okay-looking. Not the definition of clean, but it worked. Kim didn't feel like arguing. She was too tired, and the bed seemed warm and beckoning. Roxas smiled at his easy victory and Kim took careful steps toward his bed, leaving him by the door.

"Goodnight," Kim mumbled and she lay down. She buried herself in the blankets and rested her head on the single pillow.

Roxas turned off the light, and was halfway out the door when he turned right back around. She was in his home, but that didn't feel like enough. He needed just one more moment before he left for the couch.

He got to his knees beside the bed and leaned over it (it was just a few matrices piled up on the floor). Kim's eyes were open, and she stared at him. Roxas smiled slightly and put his hand on her face, pushing blackish hair out of the way.

He kissed her forehead, and against her skin he whispered back, "goodnight."

"Mnnn." Kim hummed in reply. Roxas moved to the corners of her eyes, her check, her nose, her chin. Kim closed her eyes as he pressed his cheek against hers and sighed, He wrapped his arms around her a little, feeling comforted when Kim relaxed. He knew right when she fell asleep, and let go a little. Her face was peaceful and she breathed in and out.

He pressed his lips to hers softly, just for a moment, before he got up and left, shutting the door quietly behind him. He wished he could stay in the room but knew that he'd probably get beaten in the morning when Kim was awake and in her right mind and found herself wrapped up in Roxas's arms.

He shuttered at the thought and curled up on the couch, using a couch pillow and an extra blanket from the closet that was thin and sort of rough.

He drifted off quickly, too tired to dream. Despite the uncomfortable blanket of his exhaustion from staying up so late, he found himself once more at peace. Not bored, not excited, but at peace. And I felt wonderful.

**000**

Namine was happy that things were going back to normal. Her brother disappeared, Roxas was back, and she could finally sleep in again. She had nothing in particular on her mind when she awoke around noon on Saturday. Riku was on the couch in the living room with Jynx curled up on his lap (Namine had began to allow it freedom from the closet). Namine poured herself a bowl of cereal and ate slowly. She sighed, feeling oddly chipper this morning. She appreciated for the first time the smell of Riku's home – a combination of dirty laundry and coffee.

"Mmm," Namine hummed as she approached Riku from behind when she was finished eating. She threw her arms around his neck from behind the couch and buried her head in his neck, breathing into his ear though his mess of silver hair. "'Morning, Riku."

Riku, as always, welcomed her affections. He turned his head slightly towards her and she leaned forward so they were looking at each other. Riku bend his arm backwards and caressed her check, smiling a crooked smile. Namine could tell by the purple under Riku's eyes that he'd woken up not long before her.

"How did you sleep?" Riku asked, tangling his fingers in Namine's bleach blonde hair.

"Great. Thanks." Namine leaned in for a quick kiss before she pulled away and walked around the couch to sit next to him. She snuggled up into his side and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes like she might fall asleep again huddled in his arms.

Riku continued to play with her hair, weaving his hand through it slowly as he focused back on the television screen in the front of the room. He breathed through his nose and could smell the fruit loops Namine had eaten just minutes before. Riku chuckled. She always went out of her way to eat all his favorite breakfast foods.

The cat hissed just then, obviously aware of Namine. Namine simply pushed it off Riku's lap and curled into him more, sighing against his freshly washed T-shirt.

Just as Namine felt herself drifting off again, she could feel Riku vibrate slightly. She opened her eyes just as Riku was reaching in his pocket for his phone.

"Hello?" Riku asked.

Roxas's voice was on the other line. _"Dude. I have the best idea _ever_." _

**000**

Roxas awoke long before Kim did. He slowly lifted himself from the couch, sore from sleeping on its lumpy surface. He stretched his stiff legs and tried to wake up his left arm that was asleep because he'd slept on it. Every inch of his body felt like it needed to stretch and it annoyed Roxas. Mornings like this annoyed him. He could live with the inconvenience, though, as long as it was Kim sleeping in the other room.

Roxas noticed Kim's cotton sweater on the floor. He grunted as he reached down to grab it, still sore. An odd pain rushed up his back but he ignored it.

Inside the single pocket Roxas fount Kim's phone. He looked at the screen that flashed because Kim had missed several calls this morning from the same person. Her father.

Roxas shuttered and set Kim's things down on the end table next to the couch.

Roxas lumbered over to the kitchen and searched his cabinets for pancake mix. If there was ever a time to learn how to cook it was now. He prepared the mix according to the instructions, finding the process rather easy. He turned the oven on to medium and placed a flat pan on it. When the pan was hot enough Roxas began pouring little circles of pancake mix onto the pan and watched them sizzle. He stared, checking the bottoms ever five seconds, determined to not mess this up.

And he didn't. He laughed at his triumph, piling the pancakes high on his plate. He left several for Kim, not knowing how hungry she'd be. Or if she even liked pancakes. There was another thing he had yet to learn about her.

He was halfway through his meal when Kim shuffled down the hallway, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She took one look at him and her eyes widened, and she looked about the room almost panicked until she remembered the night before and relaxed. She was so used to waking up in her own home that she forgot she was in Roxas's.

"Hey," Roxas greeted with a mouth full of pancake, peanut butter, and syrup. Kim rolled her eyes. "There's some pancakes on the counter if you want some. I put a plate over them so they'd stay warm.

Kim shook her head. "No thanks."

Roxas nodded. So she didn't like pancakes. He wondered what she _did _like. "What do you eat for breakfast."

"Usually oatmeal. But I like hash browns."

"Cool," Roxas continued to talk with his mouth full, "nobody ever seems to like just cereal."

Kim sat across from him at the table, eyeing his plate. "I didn't know you knew how to cook."

"Me nether."

There was silence for a while until Roxas finished off what was left on his plate. "I should probably go home now. My father's probably on a rampage by now."

"He left a million messages on your phone."

"You looked at my phone?"

"Forget I said anything."

Kim glared at him and got up to find her phone as well as her sweater. Roxas sighed when he thought about how he'd have nothing to do today. And not just today but the entire summer when school let out just a few days from now.

Kim blinked several times, still trying to wake up. It was then that she noticed the purple on Roxas's cheek. She didn't laugh of even smile like Roxas thought she would. "Parents?" she asked, and Roxas knew what she was talking about without her having to tell him she noticed the bruise.

"Mmhmm."

Kim's laugh was obviously fake, but Roxas ignored it. "I don't see any bruises on you."

Kim stopped laughing. "Yeah. Well." She rubbed her arm a little, biting the insides of her cheeks. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Call me sometime."

"I'll try."

"You'll _try_?"

"Don't start with me."

Roxas put his hands up in defense. "I'm just going to be bored, is all."

"Go hang out with your friends or something."

"They're probably studying."

"I need to study too."

Roxas sighed. "Whatever. Go study. It's almost summer anyways. You won't have an excuse then."

Kim ignored him and left with that, leaving Roxas all alone.

Already bored, Roxas leaned back in the dining chair and let out a long, deep breath. He could see himself going insane with boredom already.

It was then that he came up with what was probably the best idea ever. They were officially too old to go to the summer camp they went to last summer, but they could still go camping elsewhere. Roxas knew the perfect place; beyond twilight town was endless highway and forest with a couple of small towns every 150 miles or so. A road trip and a week in the forest camping. It was the perfect way to hang out with all his friends at once and get some _real _adventure.

He found his phone and dialed Riku's number. He waited for two rings until Riku's voice came though the receiver.

"_Hello?_"

"Dude. I have the best idea _ever_."

Riku paused. "_And what would that be_?"

After schools out and we go to Leon and all them's graduation, we should go on a road trip. All of us. Wouldn't that be wicked? And then camping – I know the perfect spot. We can just set up in the middle of the forest. No boundaries, no rules –"

"_Hey, hold up_," Riku interrupted him, "_are you insane_?"

"No."

Riku thought about it for a moment. "You _know, that actually sounds like fun_…" Roxas could hear Namine's muffled voice in the background, questioning.

"Call the others and tell them about it. This'll be amazing," Roxas snickered, "am I a genius or what?"

"_Roxas, anyone could think up a camping trip_."

"But not like I can."

"_You're an idiot_."

"I'll take that as a compliment, for once." Roxas laughed, and then got down to business, "I'll call Hayner and all of them. You call everyone back on Destiny Islands."

"Whatever. Maybe we should all just meet up on the beach and talk about it there."

"Sounds good."

"See you around sunset."

"See ya."

Roxas felt proud of himself. Though he knew, as Riku pointed out, that his idea was pretty unoriginal. It would be so much fun – perfect to start off the summer.

The first person he called was Kim, who had barely made it out to the bus stop by now.

_**To be continued**_

**A/N: **That seemed sort of rushed and pointless to me but whatever. It's one am and I'm tired. I'm going to bed now.

Review if you like.


	71. The Same Shade of Grey

**A/N: **Before I begin: _no, I have not died in some freak accident. _

Okay, that said, this is it. I know you've been waiting.

This is the _2__nd__ to last_ chapter! And it only took me, what, 15 months (or something like that)? I have no excuses – I'm horrible. But I'd hope that you'd calm your anger enough to enjoy the chapter. The first half had been "collecting dust" on word for ages, and I finally sat down and worked on finishing it… And up until about five minutes ago, the chapter became over twenty thousand words long. Ouch. I just can't end it… It's too hard. Soooo, instead of making you wait a millennia for me to figure out how to finish the story, here's about the first ten thousand words of the "last" chapter to keep you occupied. I _have_ been still writing since I posted the last chapter of this story, but just other works of my own rather than fan fictions. You'll notice in the next chapter how much better quality it is compared to this… I had quite a bit more practice before finishing what I started. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to kick it into gear and get on with this story. I hope I get the last half of this chapter up soon – hopefully it's almost done. But, you never know. I could become obsessive again and make it another ten thousand words long. Kind of a good thing and a bad thing… You decide, I guess.

Anyways… Lots of stuff in this chapter. Tidus makes a move, Roxas and Kim battle it out as usual, the road trip begins! To come in chapter 71 part 2, Kim shows her vulnerable side! More romance – so many romance scenes it may just drive you crazy! I'm even getting to fit in a little bit for EVERY character (like axel, reno, leon, Yuffee, ect), even if just a little. I'm trying to make the most of this last bit before… you know. *cries*

**Disclaimer: **I'm tired of being reminded that the greatest game in the history of mankind isn't mine. I get it.

**Chapter 71 PART 1**

Kim didn't answer her phone the three times Roxas had called her in a row. Leaving a message, short and sweet "hey we're going on a road trip," he set his cell phone down on the kitchen counter and sighed. He stood there, looking into the half-empty living room and the glass sliding doors that lead to a small balcony – that was also barren – A simple cement floor and a black, rusty railing that looked four centuries old. Most of Roxas's apartment, really, was bare. The couch was old and had been sitting in his parent's attic forever, so they just let him have it. The small, dark-wood table and two chairs he'd found cheap and that was pretty much it. As for his room, he'd just moved everything from his room at his parents' house to this apartment.

But honestly, Roxas didn't care. He'd always wanted to live on his own and he was getting to do it before his senior year. The apartment would fill up eventually… If he could find a steady job and a will to save up.

Roxas threw himself onto the couch, staring at the blank wall in front of him. He was thinking about at least moving the TV from his room to out here. He had too much stuff piled into that tiny space anyways. And it wasn't like he had much to _do for the time being anyways. The road trip would have to wait a few weeks until school let out and Leon, Yuffee, Could, and Areth's_ graduation was over.

Speaking of which, that was next weekend and he had still yet to call them. He'd always thought that it was unfair how all the seniors got to graduate early.

Roxas hoisted himself off the couch and back into the kitchen for his phone, proceeding to call Namine for everyone's number.

**000**

"Oh my God," Namine laughed, thinking this was some kind of a joke, "A road trip? Camping in the middle of the woods?"

Riku shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I didn't think it was that bad of an idea."

Namine folded her arms and said, "You're not thinking this over at all."

Riku just stared at her, waiting for her to continue. He knew she would.

"_A road trip_?" She repeated after a pause when Riku didn't reply. "Who's paying for a week's worth of gas? And food?"

Riku bit the insides of his cheeks, pondering. "I don't know. We'll figure it out."

"And whose _cars _are we going to use to get to the middle of nowhere? None of us even own one! If you haven't noticed, we've all kinda been spending all our money on trips halfway around the world lately." Namine said, serious.

"Roxas said he had it covered."

"You're trusting _Roxas?_"

Riku thought about this for a moment, and let out a sigh. "You're right. Fine. Stupid idea."

Namine smirked, triumphant. She knew she was right. She was always right. Women in general were always right.

"I'll take care of it myself."

Namine's mouth dropped. Okay, so he wasn't listening to her. "But I don't want to _go_."

"Then stay."

"Here. Alone?"

"It's only about a week and a half."

"Blake's lurking around somewhere, just _waiting_ for you to leave me. Remember?"

Riku sighed, grabbed both Namine's hands, and backed her up against the wall. She started at him blankly, trying to keep her poker face on, but he stared deeply into her, wrapping himself around her soul and making her knees weak with his gorgeous, icy blue eyes. She couldn't help but crack a smile. "Please, just do this for me. _Please_?"

Namine swallowed and held her breath.

"It'll be just like when we first met. Remember?" Riku lowered his lips to her ear, brushing Namine's skin – which burned under his touch. "You, me, all alone in the middle of the woods with no one around…"

"Yeah. Except for Roxas, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Olette, Pence, _Kim_," Namine shuttered, then continued counting on her fingers, "Hayner, Sora, Kairi-"

"There's plenty of forest to run away in."

"I don't know…"

Riku began a trail of kisses down Namine's neck, slowly, coaxing, as he pushed her into the wall with his hands on her hips. He held her firmly, pressing his body to hers, till they fit like two perfect pieces to a puzzle. His trail down her neck ended at her collarbone and he looked up at her under his eyelashes, batting them, and showing off his aquamarine eyes that were glossy and brilliant – the same color as Namine's ring that suddenly seemed heavy on her left hand. He started at her, his expression warm. He lifted a single hand to caress her right cheek.

"_Please_?" He repeated quietly, just under his breath. His eyes fluttered half shut as he tilted his head towards hers a little, slowly, teasing her.

Oh. He was _good._

Namine couldn't take it anymore. She pressed her hand against the back of his neck and forced his lips to hers. He smiled against her mouth as Namine mumbled, "whatever," and then proceeded to kiss him - quite passionately. Riku let himself feel prideful as he crushed her lips back, pressing her harder against the wall. His hand fell from her face went back to its former spot.

Just as Riku's hands began creeping up the soft cotton fabric of Namine's shirt, Namine had to come up for air. "Mmmm… Riku…" she tried to say through his lips, her breath ragged and uneven. "Mmmmnnuhh…." She shoved her hands in-between them, pushing a little on Riku's chest, trying to pry him from her. He got the message and their lips parted, but Riku made no move to give her space. He went on to kiss her neck some more, lingering at the curve right below her jaw as Namine tried to catch her breath.

"Sorry," he mumbled as Namine panted, running her hands through his long, silky-smooth hair.

She almost laughed. "Oh, don't be."

Suddenly, causing Namine to groan in an annoyed fashion, Riku's phone began to vibrate in his back pocket. He sighed took a step back, shrugging out of Namine's arms for a moment as she glared at the tiny black object in his hand, still panting.

"Hello?" He asked harshly, already knowing who it was. Ah, caller ID.

"_Is Namine there_?" Roxas asked, sounding like he was in a hurry. Or just really excited.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Yes, she's here. But why didn't you just call her phone?"

"_She turned it off. And you're always together so I thought_…"

"What do you want, Roxas?" Riku asked, impatient. Namine had grabbed his free hand and began playing with his fingers, kissing them coaxingly, silently begging him to get off the phone.

"_I lost a few peoples number and I need to call them about the road trip and_-"

"I've got it covered," Riku interrupted, and Roxas was silent on the other line for a moment.

"_What_?"

"Namine doesn't trust you," Riku informed, and Namine snickered, "I'm on the job now. So… Go watch TV or something."

"_But it was my_-"

Click.

They waited for a minute, just in case he'd call back. Riku stuffed his cell phone back in his pocket and grinned at Namine. "Now… Where were we?" he asked, and Namine rolled her eyes playfully.

"That line is so cheesy," Namine informed, brushing Riku's hair out of his face. She smiled at him and almost melted. _God. _Those aquamarine eyes!

Riku rested his hands on Namine's hips and nuzzled his head in the curve of Namine's neck. "Yeah, but it works when I say it," he snickered.

**000**

Roxas glared at his phone and then proceeded to throw it at the couch. Too lazy to fight about it or call again and ask who the hell Riku thought he was, Roxas just stood there, stewing in frustration. Just then his phone buzzed and he checked the call ID as he sat down. He flipped it open and held it to his ear as he picked at the hole in his jeans absentmindedly, already kind of over it. He didn't really expect this whole thing to work out anyways.

"Hey Kim," an answered, leaning back into the cushions.

"A road trip?" Kim asked, sounding torn between annoyance and confusion.

"See?" Roxas went off, throwing a hand in the air for emphasis though he knew she couldn't see it. "You should've just stayed here and studied. You obviously have time to argue with me over the phone so it wouldn't really make a difference."

"Roxas," Kim warned, and then asked again, "what's this nonsense about at road trip?"

"Don't worry about it," Roxas made a low grunting noise, and rolled his eyes. "It's probably not going to happen. Riku thinks he can handle everything but he _can't_, I'm pretty sure. He's not going to listen to me."

"Huh…" Kim hummed, and there was a short silence. Then she started up again. "Whatever. I'm kind of over the whole out in the wild thing now. I can't believe like, a month and half after we get back from almost freezing to death you want to go mess around in the wilderness again. You know, I'll never understand men. No matter how hard I try."

Roxas cracked a smiled and chuckled through his teeth, still picking at his jeans. "You know us men, gotta be all manly and stuff," he laughed at his bad joke and Kim made a pained sound on the other end of the phone.

"Look, I really do have stuff I need to take care of. I'll see you at school or whatever," she said, and then before Roxas could reply she was gone.

Roxas sighed and flipped through old text messages to pass time. He texted Riku, telling him all about how he ruined his vision as a kick off to summer. _Might as well just give up now_, Roxas typed, _While you're ahead. This is never going to work. _

**000**

**About 7 weeks later, June 16****th****, 8:09 am at Riku's house.**

"I can't believe this worked!" Roxas exclaimed to Kim as he wrapped his arms around her luggage and waddled over to the back of Kyle's truck. He threw her stuff into the truck bed and grinned cheekily, rubbing his hands together. His gaze shifted to Kim, who stood down the driveway next to Roxas's mom's car. Roxas's mom insisted that if Roxas _must _go away for two and a half weeks that he take her little Volvo and extra gas money. And everyone else insisted that If Kim must go along on the trip she and Roxas ride alone – away from everyone else. Roxas rolled his eyes and got over it, but was a little worried about the three day drive to their camping destination. "Wow," Roxas said as he walked back over to Kim, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I can't believe that's all you packed. I expected a lot more than two bags for 2 weeks."

Kim said nothing and gestured towards the backseat of the Volvo, where three more large bags and a couple smaller bags lay waiting.

Roxas sighed. "Alright. You put the small bags in the trunk here and I'll carry the big ones to Kyle's truck." Roxas mumbled something about packing twice more than was needed as he took two more trips back and forth between his car and the truck.

Namine stood on the porch, watching them. She folded her arms and leaned against the door frame, her lips forming a hard line. "Since when did they become best buds?" Namine grumbled at Riku, who sat on the first step watching everyone load the majority of their luggage into his brother's truck. About a week before Leon, Yuffee, Aerith, and Cloud graduated Kyle had met them at Selphie's 'end of the school year' party and every since he was like a new edition to their gang. Every day Kyle was in town hanging out at Leon's or Cloud's house, or out with all four of them seeing or movie or getting sea salt ice cream and hanging around the mall arcade. When Kyle heard that they were going away for a few weeks with his little brothers friends he jumped right in and offered to let everyone use his new truck to carry their things.

Riku didn't mean to ignore Namine as he drifted deep into thought about this whole thing. Everything had come together so perfectly – despite Roxas's negativity. He was really taking after Kim lately. Sora convinced his mom to let him use her car which would fit Kairi, Pence, Hayner, and himself. Wakka convinced his dad to let him use his grandpa's old van which Leon, Cloud, Kyle, Aerith, and Yuffee were using while Wakka himself rode in Tidus's rented car with Tidus, Selphie, and Olette. Riku and Namine were driving Kyle's truck and all the luggage ahead of everyone else to lead the way. They would take a ferry to get all their cars off the island and would be unloaded the next day near Oregon, where they would travel in almost the opposite direction of the state – close to Washington and into Idaho where Roxas claimed he had the best spot to camp.

"Riku? Riku do you hear me?" Namine crouched down next to her fiancé and waved a hand in front of his sheepish face. Everyone was kind of groggy because they had to get up early to catch the ferry.

"Y-yeah…" Riku blinked and he looked up at her, admiring the way she was more awake then he was. Namine tucked her blonde hair behind one ear as she sat next to him, and both of their gazes shifted to Roxas and Kim at the same moment. They were standing in front of an open trunk talking about God-knows-what and Kim looked somewhat _happy _as Roxas threw his arms around for emphasis as he talked, looking like the big, animated goof that he was.

Namine hugged her knees to her chest and sighed. "It just doesn't make sense," she complained, and then yawned before continuing, "They _**hate**_ each other."

Riku shrugged. "They do spend a lot of time together, you know. You can only _**hate**_ someone for so long," he told, and then remembered to shut his mouth. Roxas would gouge his eyes out and feed them to his new dog if Riku even _hinted_ to Namine what was going on. Which brought Riku to another train of thought: Roxas's dog – which was also coming along on this "adventure." About a week ago Axel and Reno had stopped by Roxas's apartment with a sick looking Labrador/German Sheppard mixed mutt. Roxas – living all alone in his apartment gladly accepted the dog. Already it looked healthy – Riku was impressed as he watched it jump out of Roxas's car and lick Kim's hand playfully, and she snapped at him in return. Riku almost laughed.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Namine exhaled, and her eyes narrowed at Kim's annoyed expression.

Riku shook his head. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

Namine nodded, too sleepy to argue. She relaxed her head on Riku's shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment, lulled half to sleep by the sound of his breathing. And then suddenly Riku remembered something and tensed a little. Namine's eyes fluttered open and she stared at him quizzically.

"Roxas!" Riku called, and Roxas's head snapped in Riku's direction. Kim was too busy trying to get the dog back into the backseat to notice when Roxas left her there to talk to Riku.

"What?" he asked when he was close enough to the porch not to have to yell.

"What about Axel and Reno? Weren't they coming?" Riku asked, a little panicked. How could he forget?

"Oh," Roxas shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels a little. "They're going to meet us at that hotel in Oregon… Uh, _The Red Lion Inn_ or something. Axel's aunt lives in Portland and has his car so they're flying over there and will be there before we are." Roxas smiled, stretched, and then headed back towards his mom's car (where Kim was still struggling). "It's all under control," Roxas said, his tone obviously prideful. He'd gotten to handle _something_ on his own that Riku had forgotten.

Namine groaned once Roxas was out of hearing distance. "You know, I don't really have a problem with Axel and Reno, but _why_ are they coming? They're going to set the whole forest on fire," Namine worried, fidgeting a little.

"Don't worry about it," Riku patted her shoulder. He yawned as he stood up, signaling to everyone that it was time to leave. Selphie whooped and Hayner shook a tired fist in the air, trying to be excited through his exhaustion. Riku helped namine into Kyle's truck and then hopped into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition. He pulled out into the road and drove a few yards before stopping, waiting for everyone to get in their cars and start pulling out behind him. Namine was already half asleep again, her head leaned against the dashboard as Riku waited.

Roxas and Kim were in the back of the line as Riku started down the road again, everyone following. The dog refused to sit down and instead pocked his head in-between Roxas and Kim from the backseat, panting and slobbering everywhere. "Ungh!" Kim complained, swatting at the dog's head. She turned around in her seat and forced the dog back, shoving him against the cushions of the backseat while blocking part of Roxas's view with her butt as she did so.

"Uhm, Kim," Roxas chuckled, leaning away a little bit so he could see where he was driving. She sat back down once the dog was strapped to the seat via several seatbelts.

"Bad dog!" she warned, ignoring Roxas and still glaring at the dog. She pointed her finger at him threateningly when it fidgeted a bit.

"Don't be so hard on him!" Roxas shook his head, reaching his hand back to tousle the fur on the dogs head. The dog stuck his tongue out happily and slobbered even more. "Is the mean lady hurting you, Maxie?" Roxas grinned, and then focused on the road when Kim snapped at him.

Roxas had chosen to name his new dog a very common name because he couldn't think of anything right off the bat. Kim rolled her eyes and folded her arms, sinking deep into her seat. Roxas sighed, knowing that it was only a matter of days before she'd be rippling her dark brown hair from her scalp.

**000**

The next day, around three in the afternoon they arrived in Oregon and left the ferry. On the road again, Riku lead the train of cars as Namine stared at a map, pointing to where the hotel was a couple of hours up the road. They planned to be there by nine at night and leave at 8 in the morning for a long, _long_ day of driving. Tomorrow they'd be on the road for a full 12 hours before they stopped at another hotel in order to make good time. The less time they spent on the road the more time they could spend camping – not hot and sweaty and sticky in their cars. After that they'd be going about 9 hours a day until they reached their destination – hopefully within a week. Roxas complained about this, claiming that the road trip was the best part and they should all take their sweet time but Riku _knew _after a couple of days on the road everyone would be getting sick – even overly hyper people like Selphie who had shown even more enthusiasm than Roxas.

They reached _The Red Lion Hotel _on time and sure enough – there was Axel's beat up little car in the parking lot. Axel and Reno were inside waiting, a key already in their hands. Roxas would be rooming with them – which meant so would Kim (she had nowhere else to sleep – and she refused to be alone). While everyone else bought rooms the four of them crammed into the elevator with part of their luggage in hand (just enough for the night – a pair of clothes, a toothbrush, ex.).

"Sup?" Axel finally greeted, and he pounded fists with Roxas. Kim rolled her eyes and stood in the far corner away from all the boys.

"How was the ride here?" Reno asked, and then lowered his voice, "Y'know… Stuck in the car with that _bitch_."

Kim acted like she heard nothing and pressed the fourth button that would take them to the fourth floor where their room was. Roxas said nothing in reply to Axel and Reno and there was a short silence until the elevator stopped. Kim strode out first, almost jogging as she raced down the hall. Roxas sighed and Axel stared at him quizzically, and then a realization showed through his features as his eyes got a little wider and his mouth hung open. "Oh… _Oh no_." Hs voice cracked on the last word and then Axel and Reno both burst into laughter, leaning on one another for balance. "Say it isn't so!" Axel sputtered through his teeth, gripping at his stomach, nearly in tears. His laugh boomed up and down the hall and Kim was already in their room, probably unpacking at the bed in the corner – secluded and closest to the door.

Roxas's face twisted up with embarrassment. Not because he was ashamed of his relationship with Kim but because Reno and Axel were such _idiots_. A couple doors cracked open, revealing concerned and slightly annoyed faces. When Axel and Reno finally realized they were attracting attention they hushed up, chuckling softly.

"When did _this_ happen?" Reno asked, trying not to burst into another fit of laughter. He grinned wide, the corners of his mouth stretching from ear to ear. Axel's expression was the same and they looked very much like brothers standing side by side – long red hair and all. "Man, you don't tell us_ anything_ anymore!"

Roxas shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets, clutching at the denim fabric a little. He bit the insides of his cheeks and swallowed. "Heh…"

"So…" Axel pressed, leaning closer to Roxas and using a lighter tone - as if they were discussing some deep, dark secret. "How did it go down? I can't picture it…" he shuttered. "_Kim_?"

"Has she dragged you deep into the fiery pits of hell yet?" Reno snickered.

Roxas laughed. "No, I think it's the other way around." And then he paused, considering how to explain himself. "I don't know… I guess it just… Happened."

"Things like you and Kim just don't _happen_." Axel said mater-of-factly.

"Well it did," Roxas grunted, "I can't even really…. It's just complicated." He thought about it some more, and then repeated himself. "It just happened."

Before Axel or Reno could say anything else, Kim cleared her throat. Their heads whipped in her direction, and a couple doors down she was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. "Are you coming or not?"

Roxas raised his eyebrows in questioning, wondering if and what she'd heard. He smiled goofily and rubbed the back of his neck, following Axel and Reno wearily towards where Kim stood.

For the most part, they unpacked in silence. Every now and then Reno would whisper something to Axel and he'd snicker, and then they'd both steal a peak and Roxas and Kim who tried to get the TV to work with blank expressions. With one last final attempt and fail to get a picture on the screen, they gave up, grumbling to each other.

Outside it was pitch black and most everyone in the other rooms had fallen asleep by now. Kim was curled up in bed, the one next to the window, with a huge book and a soda. Axel and Reno tinkering with the TV in Roxas's place and Roxas was already out, lying next to Kim and almost snoring. By midnight Axel and Reno passed out as well and Kim slipped a bookmark into her book and soon fell asleep as well.

**000**

Breakfast in the morning consisted of a box of donuts and a 2 liter soda from the gas station across the street. Hayner, now declared the walking commercial by an annoyed Kim (which only made him sing louder) sang the free credit report song as he waited in line to pay for gas. "Check it out, gas prices blowin' up sky high, 'ditched my used subcompact for a two wheel drive…"

Kim groaned as Axel and Reno joined in. "F to the R to the E to the E-"

"Shut-UP!"

"To the C to the R to the E-D-I-T. RE to the PORT to the DOT to the COM-"

"Urgh!"

"Come on everybody grab your bike and sing alonggggggg-!"

Kim make a loud, whinny shrieking noise and stuffed the box of donuts in Roxas's hand before making her way to the exit to wait by the car with her hands firmly held to her ears. Hayner, who'd just paid for his gas, followed her out, still singing. Roxas chuckled, humming along. _(F-R-E-E that spells free. Credit report dot com baby!) _"Your girlfriend's such a tight-ass," Reno commented, and then he stole a donut.

"Hayner, that's enough!" Olette commanded, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back to the car. Kim, still glaring at Hayner, nodded in Olette's direction as a sign on gratitude. Olette didn't catch this rare gesture from Kim, though, as she was busy scolding Hayner. "Can't you just give her a break? No wonder she's always so grumpy!" Kim snorted at this, and Olette looked up at her suddenly (thinking about what she said) and gave her an apologetic look.

"Mmmmm." Roxas purred, half a chocolate donut hanging out the side of his mouth. "So good," he said with his mouth full, trying to inhale the rest of the pastry. He swallowed and Kim noticed the rest of the donuts had already been devoured, except for one in Roxas's right hand. He offered it to her, the white frosting and multi-colored sprinkles glossy in the sunlight. She wanted to barf.

"No thanks," she reached out and pushed it away from her, only to pull out a granola bar from her pocket a few seconds later. Roxas headed around the car and sat in the driver's seat, turning the keys in the ignition.

"I thought you hated granola." He mumbled, still licking chocolate frosting off the roof of his mouth. Kim didn't reply, and he left the silence alone, stuffing another donut into his mouth as they pulled out of the parking space and into the highway.

**000**

"I hate this song…" Namine complained. She reached over to change the station but Riku grabbed her hand, shot her a look, and then returned his focus to the road. Namine _humfed,_ but quickly managed to get over herself, of course after muttering "whatever." Riku's scream-o, depressing and overly creepy music played on and gave her a headache. How had she ever let him convince her to do this? Another hour and she'd….

"Shit!" Riku spat, interrupting her hateful thoughts. The old truck jerked harshly, swerved, and bounced a little.

"What the hell was that?" Namine demanded irritably. It was ether the sun or the hot interior of the car or this music that was making her pissed, she just wasn't okay with anything today. Usually she wasn't such a brat. She knew by the second look Riku gave her that he agreed, but was trying to ignore it – because he was pretty pissed too. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and he looked tired, liked he'd gotten maybe a half hour of sleep over Roxas and Kim's arguing that the whole hotel could hear.

"Squirrel." Riku said. In an effort to be kind, unlike Namine, he reached over and put his hand on her knee and squeezed it a little. "Don't worry, I didn't hit it."

Namine nodded, looking down at her feet and patting his hand. They drove in silence for a while, and Riku let Namine at least turn the volume down a little so it wasn't so harsh in her ears. After all – his irritation shouldn't be directed at her, but more at Roxas. The long trip to the middle of Idaho – Washington –_whatever_, was his idiotic idea.

"We should play a game," Namine broke the silence, offering up a forced smile. She tucked her hair behind her ear and then shifted in her seat, leaning forward towards the windshield. Riku watched her out of the corner of his eye as she studied parking lots and cars driving past then. Then, without warning, she turned over and punched his arm.

"Hey!" Riku, caught off guard, winced. "What was that for?"

Namine pointed to a parking lot ahead of them at Safeway. "I slug-bugged you. See the red buggie, over there?" she asked, grinning.

Riku saw it, but continued to act clueless. "I don't get it," Riku said, and then waited for Namine to explain.

"Whenever you see a buggie, you're supposed to punch someone." Namine told, and then punched him again as a green one came into view at the gas station – which they were now pulling into.

"Ah," Riku hummed, thinking it was ridiculous – but sort of funny. What a weird game. Still, he played along. An electric blue buggie sped by down the road and before Namine could even lift her arm Riku got her on the leg.

"Ouch!" Namine complained, rubbing her knee, but laughing. "You don't have to punch _that_ hard."

By the time they walked inside to buy food, left, and had traveled 5 miles away – starting to enter another small town, the score was already 20 to 37 – Namine in the lead.

"I swear to God I'll beat you," Riku grumbled when Namine got him once again. She giggled, whipping the sweat from her brow (how attractive is _that_). Whether or not if he liked it, she was better than him. Sooo much better. And to Riku's dismay, the buggies were becoming scarce as they reached the end of the town that opened up into a series of farms as far as he could see, with a mountain range (most likely part of the cascades) in the background, the peaks covered in snow. He groaned.

A moment later Namine's phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. Roxas. "Hello?" she answered, and then held back a hiss at the voice that came through the other line, which was Kim's.

"Are we even close yet?" she asked, her tone viciously annoyed.

"Uhh…" Namine couldn't find it in herself to respond. It wasn't everyday that she was forced to converse with the beast Roxas insisted on spending so much time with. She shuddered a little, and then quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. There wasn't anything going on between those two. Of course not. Never, never, never in a million years. They just weren't…. Compatible. No, that wasn't the right word…

Namine groaned and pushed the phone into Riku's chest as though it burnt her. Then she proceeded to lean back in her seat, close her eyes, and find her happy place. A tall, sheltering weeping willow by a still, picturesque creek. Fields of wheat swaying in the breeze and nice things like that.

"Hello?" Riku said into the phone, loud enough to pull Namine right back out of her reverie. "No, not really," he spoke again after a short silence. "No, Kim, I really don't –"he sighed, "would you bitch about it to someone who cares? I'm trying to drive." Another silence, and then Riku hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Namine asked. Riku pointed behind him with his thumb, gesturing to the car that traveled closely behind theirs. Namine leaned over and peered out the back window, and straight into Kim's furious eyes.

She sat in the front seat next to Roxas, who was singing loudly and obnoxiously, and behind her were Axel and Reno, who were giving her their full and undivided attention. Kim had one arm wrapped firmly around her stomach, and her free hand still had the phone pressed to her ear. Her face was a mixture of red and green as Reno dug his hands through her hair, whom was enjoying himself and the clumpy braids he had created, as Axel poked her over and over again on the nose. Teeth bared, Kim threw the phone in Namine's direction. It hit the windshield, and then disappeared.

Namine burst with laughter.

**000**

Selphie's smile was wide and boundless. She leaped out the car door like a ballerina, happy to be on her feet once again. It had been a long, long six hours. Despite the sleepiness that tugged at Selphie's eyes lids, she found it in her to be animated. The neon sign glowed, and buzzed as though it were calling to her. _I have a nice, warm bed for you, _it said.

Tidus was quite a ways behind her as she bounded through the parking lot to the hotel that promised a tender, heated escape from Washington's icy, midnight atmosphere. Even Pence had been feeling a little chilly though his thick layers. "Wait up!" Tidus called, rubbing his eyes and trying to catch up with her. She didn't linger for him.

"Hotel Inn," Hayner said out of the blue, and Tidus jumped. "Creative."

"Whoa, man," he steadied himself, and then coughed. "It's far too late to be ganging up on me like that."

"Sorry," Hayner snickered. "Hey, did Riku tell you what time the others would be here?" Hayner was referring to Axel, Reno, Kim, and Roxas. A few hours back they had stopped at a gas station while everyone else continued on their way. Riku had been fine with it, thinking they'd catch up. Unfortunately traffic had gotten awful in the short time they'd been apart, and the four had been held up a while. Then they took the wrong directions (leave it to Roxas to get lost) and traveled east instead of west. When the larger group had reached Mount Rainier, Riku called Roxas again, who informed him he was _alllllll _the way back in Tacoma. In a fit of anger mixed with exhausted, Riku let him have it over the phone and then cut the trip for the day 2 hours short and found a hotel where they'd wait for the idiots to catch up until morning.

But that wasn't the end of it. Somehow, through it all, the four had split up. While leaving Tacoma Reno and Axel insisted on stopping at a store titled _Boo Radley's. _While the two looked at knick-knacks, Roxas and Kim sat in the car arguing over a map to the town near Mount Rainier Riku had told them to drive to. Too angry to think straight, Roxas turned the key in the ignition and drove off with Axel and Reno still in the store. Minutes later he was on his way back, frantic, while Kim told him repeatedly how much of a moron he was. Just as they arrived at the store Roxas's phone went off: It was Reno on a payphone. "Hey, man, don't worry about it," Reno said after Roxas begged and pleaded for forgiveness, "we'll just take a bus. It's wayyyy funner that way. Nah don't worry about it, we've got money." Roxas sighed, checked his watch, and then gave in. "Don't do anything naughty while we're gone…" Reno snickered one last time then hung up before Roxas could respond.

So Reno and Axel were taking the bus. Roxas and Kim took the car. It would be a couple more hours before they caught up, if they could manage not to get lost again.

"Riku says that Roxas and Kim should be here first, around three a.m. or something. And he has no idea when Reno and Axel will get here on the bus route, but hopefully about the same time. I think." Tidus explained, trying to recite Riku's words exactly.

"I guess it doesn't matter anyways; I'll be sleeping." Hayner said absently, shoving his hands into his pockets. They were greeted at the door by Olette, whom was handing out the bedroom keys.

"Hello boys," she smiled, gave Hayner a kiss on the cheek, and tossed a key at Tidus. "You, Selphie, and Wakka have room 480, level 4. Okay?" She told Tidus, and then to Hayner; "we're right next to them with Pence." She tucked a tiny, metal key into his palm.

"Thanks," he grinned warmly at her, tucking a brown piece of hair behind her ear.

Tidus scanned the lobby for Selphie, and found her talking to Namine and Riku by the elevator. They were laughing about something, and Tidus felt a bitter sting of jealousy. He couldn't figure out why, exactly.

"Ha-ha, you don't bury survivors you dork!" Selphie pushed Riku's arm playfully, who chuckled. Namine held a hand over her mouth, muffling giggles.

"What's going on?" Tidus asked, interrupting them momentarily. Selphie greeted him with a flash of white teeth.

"Oh, I was asking Riku about where you bury survivors if a plane crashed on the border of the US and Mexico," she laughed tiredly, but still Selphie-like, "he said Mexico."

It took Tidus a minute, and as the door to the elevator finally opened and the four of them stepped in, he burst into laughter. "That's a good one," he complimented, and Selphie's smile grew. Moments later the elevator halted and let them out. They said their goodbyes and filed into separate rooms.

There was a tiny, barely audible _click _as Tidus unlocked the door and opened it for Selphie. He stepped in behind her, and darkness enveloped them for a moment. Tidus reached over and flipped on the light switch, revealing a room with two, slightly smaller than Queen Size beds. Tacky blue and white patterned blankets covered them, tucked into the side of the mattresses. Little mints in green tin foil rested on the pillows. Thin, translucent curtains covered the square windows and fell almost to the floor. The carpet was a dark, un-matching, wrong green and the TV sat small and crooked on the stand. The bathroom was small, with tiny yellow tiles and rubber-duck shower curtains. There wasn't a closet, so Tidus set his small bag of clothes for the night down on the floor next to the bed closest to the window.

The window was slightly opened. A quick chill flooded the room, and Selphie shut the window without hesitation, and rubbed her arms to warm them. The she turned to Tidus. "Where's Wakka?" she asked.

Tidus shrugged, tilting his head gently to the side. His blond hair fell to the side as well, ticking his ears. It had been getting kind of long… "He'll catch up," Tidus guessed, reaching his hands over his head to stretch, "he's probably checking out the pool or something. Or lost. You never know." Yawning, Tidus took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched Selphie dig through her plastic bag for a toothbrush. The light hit her face just right so Tidus could see slight, small purple bags under her eyes. Sleepiness was finally catching up with her.

Finally, she pulled out a small, pink toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. She stifled a yawn and moved to walk past Tidus and to the bathroom. As she passed by Tidus's perch on the bed, though, she was taken aback at the feel of Tidus hand on hers. She looked at him, blue eyes staring into blue eyes as he held onto her soft skin.

Tidus felt his cheeks heat up faintly. It wasn't often that he made a move, if much at all. He stuttered, forgetting what he had planned to say. Words chocked in his throat as Selphie stared at him quizzically. "Tidus, are you okay?" she asked, and was answered with a squeeze of the hand. Tidus opened his mouth again to say something, but his gaze quickly flitted to the ground, and he awkwardly scuffed the ground with his sneaker.

Selphie leaned down, moving closer to Tidus. She pressed a hand against his forehead, pushing the hair up out of his face. "Tidus?" she asked again as he looked up at her, eyes meek and embarrassed. He clutched at the denim fabric at his knee, indecisive. Should he kiss her? Should he just let her brush her teeth? Was there something that you were just _supposed_ to say at a time like this? He wasn't any good at this sort of thing. Never was. "_Tiiidus?_" Selphie murmured, his name lingering on her lips. Finally, slowly, Tidus moved a shaky hand to her cheek, his fingertips brushing hair. He pulled her face towards his, trying to hold her gaze without looking uncomfortable. He swallowed, and as he closed his eyes he hoped for the best, that she wouldn't turn away from him.

Their lips met barely at first, a soft peck. Then, lifting a thousand weights off of Tidus's shoulders, she leaning into him, kissing back. Tidus's hand slipped to her chin, as though he might tilt it, but didn't dare. When was the last time he kissed her? Weeks, months? He shouldn't push it…

Selphie read his nervousness like a book, and tilted her head for him. As though to assure him that it was okay, really, she pulled her free arm up and rubbed his shoulder, caressed his neck with her fingertips. Leaned into him a little more… And then he seemed to get the hang of it. Their lips moved together in a sort of innocent passion, a rhythm. Little time passed before Tidus was tugging at Selphie, gesturing for her to get on her knees so he could more easily get his arms around her, and once she was level with him, he did just that. Selphie clutched the cotton of his shirt. Minutes… hours could have gone by and they wouldn't have noticed. All that could have interrupted them was…

"Jesus Chirst, come up for air will yah' two?" Wakka broke the peaceful silence, ruining possibly the most romantic moment of Tidus's young life. "'Gonna suffocate each other, ya?"

Awkwardly Selphie and Tidus quickly untangled themselves. Selphie shuffled into the bathroom and Tidus raked a hand down his face, the glared at Wakka, hoping that if he stared hard enough he's burn a whole through his head.

A look passed over Wakka's face, and then he let out a deep breath. "Opps…" he choked on a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry. Didn't mean to intrude."

Tidus fell on his back, both hands shielding his embarrassment. Couldn't he just get a break?

Wakka sat next to him, rotating the ever-present blitz ball in his hands. "Don't you ever put that away, for like, two seconds?" Tidus asked, peaking through his fingers. At that moment Selphie immerged from the bathroom, looking flushed.

"Heh, forgot floss," she murmured. Tidus tried not to look at her, tried to hold back a groan at her nervous laugh that followed Selphie's statement. She hurried back into the bathroom, floss in her right hand, and promptly shut the door behind her. Tidus rolled over and whimpered into a pillow, stomach churning mercilessly. _Idiot, idiot, idiot, _it screamed at him. _You're an idiot!_

Wakka made an exasperated noise, and then was on his feet again. "I'm so tired. Long day, ya?" Wakka stretched, tossed his ball aside, and then shoved Tidus aside. He crawled under the covers after Tidus moved to the other bed, grumbling to himself.

Tidus threw himself on the other bed and curled into a half-ball. Right as he thought he might fall asleep the bathroom door opened, and the noise was followed by slow, soft footsteps. Tidus closed his eyes tight, and tried to ignore her. Then there was a gentle hand squeezing his knee, and he opened one eye, greeted by Selphie (whom was a lot closer than he thought she was). Her face hovered inches from his, and she smiled when their eyes locked, and Tidus suddenly felt less awkward. Wakka snored quietly in the background. He wasn't watching them.

"Goodnight," Selphie whispered. When he didn't respond she ruffled his hair and moved to lie next to him on her side, still holding his gaze. "Tidus?" she asked for the fourth time that night.

"Yeah, goodnight." He said finally, and then swallowed.

She giggled, leaned forward, and kissed his cheek. Dizzy, Tidus smiled bashfully. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes and rested, thankful that, no, he didn't feel weird at all. Not any more, or not at the moment, at least. Mission accomplished. There was finally a part of him that felt like Selphie's boyfriend again, as it should be, or so he was told. The butterflies were… wonderful.

"Sweet dreams."

**000**

"I hate Washington," Namine declared. She stood at the window, peaking through the curtains, eyes stained with distaste. The corners of her mouth twitched as if she tasted something terrible. All in all, she detested the rain. And conveniently, two thirds into the road trip, it had begun raining and hadn't ceased for the last four hours, dampening Namine's mood more than Riku believed they _both_ deserved. All day it had been one thing after another, and it was becoming hard for him to stay patient with her. But he did, relentless. He loved her.

Is this how Roxas felt? Every day?

_The horror. _

"It'll stop by tomorrow," Riku predicted. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he studied himself, acknowledged the purple circles under his eyes. He was half tempted to give up driving and leave it to someone else, but his brother would rip his head off if Riku trusted the truck in anyone else's "unworthy, clumsy hands." Kyle was such a drama queen.

Riku turned the sink on, let the cool water run over his hand for a moment. He splashed some on his face, raked soaking hand down his face and around his neck. Namine marched into the bathroom. Riku scooted over, making room for her. She took a wet washcloth to her face, rubbing around her eyes and cheeks, and the washcloth became tainted with blacks and tan colors – eyeliner and base. A few, short moments later and Namine's face was bare. She dried her face, and then stared at herself. Blinked. She acted as though she had never seen her real face before.

Then she frowned. She threw the wash cloth next to the sink and perched on the edge of the tub, pressed her forehead to her wrists and gazed down at her toes. "I don't see why I even bother." She muttered, unhappy with herself. With the world.

Riku sighed. "What's with you today, huh?" he asked, taking a seat next to her. She shook her head. In an effort to comfort his fiancée, he patted her shoulder, then pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, her ear pressed to the spot right over his heart. _Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. _

_Fiancée. _Now there's a word Riku hadn't used in a while. The word didn't bother him, but made him feel more like he had actually, in some aspects, grown up. The feeling was a little unnerving. Scary, even, but none-the-less wonderful, because the girl in his arms was all his. Nobody else's. Ever.

"I feel like shit," Namine admitted, and Riku stroked her platinum locks. "Just terrible. I don't get it."

"Did you know that Washington has the highest suicide rating in the country?" Riku asked, pulling this statement from his infinite knowledge of the world.

"Not helping," Namine grumbled.

"I'm just saying you're not the only one. How _depressed_ must a person be to take their own life? And it happens here all the time. Crazy."

"_Riku._"

"Sorry."

Namine closed her eyes, shielding herself from the suddenly blinding white glow coming from the lamp resting on the counter. One more reason to hate this state.

Namine knew, though, beneath it all it wasn't the state she detested. It wasn't anything, really. Maybe it was just one of those days… One of those horrible, wretched days where you wake up too tired to get out of bed and the day seems to drone on and on and on. _And on. _Then finally it seems as though things could not possibly get any worse until lightning strikes and thunder rumbles, ruining the fragments of peace that remained. Namine could not even escape the noises in the warmth of the hotel; it was all around her. She wasn't going to get a break today.

Riku's head fell atop hers. He massaged her shoulder, whispering sweet nothings and comforting words, trying to make her feel, at least, slightly better. His body radiated heat, which was more than comfortable to Namine as she lounged against him. Maybe it wasn't so bad. She had Riku. And she always would. That was something to be happy about, or at least a reason to cheer up.

"Riku…" she mumbled into his shirt. It was muffled, but he heard it. He leaned his head down slightly, gently, somewhat. He hummed quizzically in response, as he always does. Held her a little tighter. "Am I depressing you?" Namine asked. She lifted her head to look at him, and his aqua eyes stared intently at her, peaceful. He didn't look the slightest disturbed.

"No." he shook his head. After a short silence he added, "Why?"

"I'm not exactly helping _your_ mood, with all my doom and gloom. Aren't you mad at me? _A little_? I've given you hell all day." Namine said, and a little bit of guilt stabbed at her in the stomach. Saying it out loud made her feel worse.

But Riku just shook his head again, smiled affectionately, and kissed her forehead. "No, not in the least."

"But _why_?" Namine pressed. She tried to lock eyes with him, but her gaze flitted to the floor instead. Her head ached, and she wished she'd just left it at Riku's statement and gone to bed. But _no_, she had to draw things out. Make them complicated. Be a _woman_.

"Because I love you," Riku said, and Namine looked up again. "There's good enough reason as any."

Namine smiled, sniffed, and then reached a hand up to caress Riku's cheek. He held it there in place. After a moment Namine one-handedly rubbed the weariness from her eyes, put on a smile, and nodded at Riku. "I love you, too," Namine said, and meant every word. Riku chuckled, eyes beaming and beautiful, and the butterflies batted their wings.

**000**

Lightning severed the sky.

For a quick instant, a flash, one precious moment, the sky lit up. Everything was visible – The farms, the mountains and the forest that loomed around them. And then it was gone, replaced with a think, almost tangible darkness. The only way for the little car to find its way around was a couple yards of road that the headlights illuminated and a map. A very detailed, idiot proof map showing each step of the way towards Mount Rainier and the Hotel Inn, so even Roxas couldn't mess up.

Much to Kim's relief, they were almost there. All these car games she'd put up with the last hour were driving her _insane_. The current came was to name all the colors they could think of, and the options were running out, adding to Kim's growing headache.

"Salmon." Kim said, after Roxas's lame _lime green. _

"That's a fish."

"It's a color, too, moron."

"Fine. _Sand_." (a/n: a quote from _wheels on the bus_. Great fan fiction. Read it! It's on my favorites list. Credit to GreyRain.)

Kim rolled her eyes, pressing her folded arms into her chest, wishing she could just melt into the seat. That would be great.

"Your turn," Roxas informed, trying to hide his own irritation under his usual, care-free tone and expression, which only seemed to drive Kim further into madness. She made a sound that clearly expressed her annoyance, no words needed. With that, the game was over, and silence fell around them (besides the pitter-patter of the rain, the occasional roll of thunder). After a while, Roxas coughed, and Kim glared at him, glossy silver eyes shooting imaginary daggers at him.

"What?" She asked, and Roxas waved a hand absently at her. They lapsed into another silence shortly thereafter.

Uncomfortable, Roxas shifted and shot Kim an uneasy glance. She looked at him again, lips pursed, eyes narrowed. The silver shone easily though the darkness, bright and piercing. Breathtaking, but evil. Pure evil.

"_What_?" she asked again, doing little to hide her impatience for him. Why had she even bothered with him? Roxas seemed to be doubting her lately, unable to find the answer to this simple question. Did she love him? Really? How could _this_ possibly be _love_?

"I was just checking on max," he muttered, eyes shifting to the backseat where the dog's motionless body lay, snoring lightly like dogs do.

"No, you're just trying to annoy me. You're always trying to annoy me."

"Not _always_," Roxas said, defending himself. He gripped the wheel firmly, trying to focus on the road. "Don't just assume things like that. It's not right."

"Roxas, I _know_ you. You were trying to annoy me." Kim huffed, and leaned her head against the window. "Congratulations, you've succeeded."

"I'm not even _doing_ anything!" Roxas protested. And he wasn't. "All I did was look at you."

"Whatever, Roxas."

Half an hour later and they were pulling into the parking lot, officially done talking for the night. No more bickering. Roxas wasn't in the mood, and nether (obviously) was Kim. Roxas snuck Max into the elevator while Kim asked for a key, and they walked into their room silently besides max's panting. Kim locked herself in the bathroom to wash up and change and Roxas lazily dragged his feet to the window to close it. Why was it always left open? He shivered and turned around and let his eyes settle on his dog. Max jumped onto one of the two beds and curled up in the center, then promptly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Roxas crossed the room and patted Max's head lightly, and Max twitched a little, but didn't seem to notice much. _Tired, Buddy? _Roxas thought, as though he could communicate with the dog telepathically.

Kim immerged from the bathroom then, clothed in green pajama bottoms and a black tank top. A tooth brush stuck out the left side of her mouth and she stared at him, as if waiting for him to ask, "_yes, kim? What can I do for you?_"

After a lifetime of staring she made a gesture toward the dog. _Oh. _Roxas thought. Of course. _She wants me to kick the dog off the bed. Can't even stand to sleep in the same bed as me now. _Roxas didn't care about what she wanted today. He shook his head, stubborn, and pet the dog gently, breaking apart from Kim's gaze to stare at Max's slightly matted, golden fur.

Kim groaned, waited, put her hands on her hips. Waited some more. Chewed on the tooth brush a little bit.

When Roxas didn't respond to her disgusted noises for a solid three minutes, she gave up. She went back into the bathroom, finished brushing her teeth, and tied her hair up in a pony-tail. She stomped back into the bedroom, crossed the room to the couch pressed up against the southern wall near the window, and slapped the couch cushions. Roxas knew what she was going to say before she said it. "Then you can sleep here," was he much-delayed response. Letting out a sigh, Roxas swung his eyes back to her, and she saw the hurt burning there, saw the desire that laced and throbbed within those icy blue orbs. She could care less, and was too tired anyways. This was the way she was, her nature. She was heartless.

"No." Roxas said blankly, looking her square in the eyes. Kim shifted her wait to her right foot, pursed her lips. And then Roxas couldn't stand to be around her anymore. He got up, zipped his coat, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Kim asked, and he paused for a moment.

"A walk."

"Out _there_?"

"No."

"But where?"

Without replying, Roxas opened the door and walked out. Kim didn't follow him.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N: **Okay, I hope that's enough for now. I'm on break for a couple of days so lets cross our fingers and hope for the best about part 2! **Leave a review** and I'll get back to you! Also, if you'd like, leave suggestions about what you'd like to see in the end! And yes, you may scold me about being lazy. I deserve it. And PLEASE tell me how it's been going in the last year! I'd love to hear what everyone's been up to!

**We'll talk again soon!** (hopefully).


	72. A Mended Bond, a Truth Revealed

**A/N: **What did I tell you? Once again the last chapter became over 20,000 words long and I had to split it up. I'm close to the end, though, so the NEXT chapter is definitely the last. Sorry it's so late; I don't have an excuse. I can't tell you when the next and last chapter will be up, but I can tell you this: It WILL be up. I've come too far with this story to let it go unfinished. That would kill me. That's why I haven't given up yet.

Leave a review! I would appreciate the extra motivation. I really do miss the good old days, you guys, when I could always look forward to your responses. But then again, I'm sure you miss the days when my updates were weekly. Still, my heart would soar if you'd be so kind as to leave me a note! Thanks. :)

The** Disclaimer: **is pointless.

**CHAPTER 71, PART 2 of 3**

Roxas roamed the halls aimlessly, hands warmly stuffed in his pockets. He didn't think much or dwell on his foul mood. Just tried to relax. Finally to enjoy the sound of rain, supposing he was the only one here who liked it. Probably. The pitter-patter provided a peaceful background to the meshed together voices in his head, prying at him, ruthless. _You and Kim are going nowhere. No one's enjoying the trip like you had planned. Your life means nothing. _He blocked it all, stored it in a deep, dark section of his mind. Tried to keep it from residing.

All of this was much too melodramatic.

When he felt he was ready, calm, able enough to deal with Kim, should she still be awake, he took the elevator up a floor and re-entered the room. Kim lay on her back in the 2nd bed, and the first was still occupied by Max. He was breathing slowly, looked happy, probably dreaming doggy dreams. Not a care in his short life. Upon entering, Kim stole a peak at Roxas, and when he looked at her her eyes quickly fluttered back to the book perched on her stomach. Roxas's eyes lingered on her for a moment. She was, in fact, very beautiful. In a cruel way. Her eyes glowed dimly, silver and cold, slightly empty. Her hair, appearing black in the darkness, framed her face and fell messily over the edge of the bed.

Roxas edged past her, trying not to make any quick or awkward movements that would spark her attention. He sat on the couch and reached for the remote on the night-stand. He pressed _power _and the TV flickered to life, the volume on super-low. All the other buttons (besides mute and volume) were busted, so Roxas was stuck with the lifetime channel (to his displeasure). Within minutes he grew bored and got up, headed for the fridge placed next to the door. He grabbed a foam cup that rested on top, and went to the sink to fill it up. He guzzled the water, and then whipped his mouth.

His reflection didn't please him. He looked warn-out, jaded, possibly miserable. Purple bags sagged under his eyes, which looked hallow, and his face had twisted into a grimace. His hair was slightly greasy, unkempt. He looked nothing short of an alcoholic.

Deciding he needed sleep, now, Roxas moved back to the couch. He laid down, only to get back up again. The temperature was glacial, and he had nothing to trap body heat with. He hovered over Kim, about ready to steal one of the two blankets she rested on, and then changed his mind. He could just sleep next to the dog, push him aside a little. Max wouldn't mind.

But before Roxas could turn around, Kim snared up at him. "_What_?" she hissed, expressing her discomfort.

"Nothing. Nothing," he said airily, waving his hand. "Read your book."

"Roxas." Kim pressed, laying her book down. She sat up, resting her back against the wall. Roxas sighed.

"What? Are my good looks distracting you?"

"Oh, ha ha." Kim went on sarcastically, twisting her face with false humor, while all the while her eyes remained the same; empty. Void of anything. Cold. "Seriously, what do you want?"

Roxas thought about his response. Then he said, "In what context do you mean?"

Kim bit down on her cheeks, scrunched her nose, clenched her fists, and grinded her teeth. She took a deep, raged breath, and then opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted.

"Okay, okay," Roxas put his hands up defensively. "I just wanted a blanket. But I changed my mind. I'm going to go to bed now, if you don't mind." Roxas backed up a few feet with his hands still up in an obnoxious manner. He couldn't help it – being silly eased the tension. For him, anyways. "I don't want any trouble."

Kim rolled her eyes, sunk back underneath the blankets, and turned her back to him. She threw her book to the side, aiming for the edge of the bed and missing. The book hit the ground with a quiet thud.

Roxas maneuvered his way into bed without disturbing the dog that slept in the middle. He twisted his body around to fit and lay there uncomfortable, but at least warm. He couldn't bring himself to push aside poor max; the dog hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't deserve to be pushed around.

**000**

The next morning wasn't even slightly less depressing or disappointing as the night before; rainy, wet, and freezing. The atmosphere put a damper on everyone's mood, with the exception of Selphie and Yuffee, whom danced and frolicked about, enjoying the rain.

Everyone grabbed breakfast (which was free) and their luggage and left at 8 o'clock sharp. They all piled into the cars and were on their way, sluggishly closing the distance between where they were and where Roxas's camping spot was. It wasn't too horribly long before they were driving through Spokane and took a break at River Front Park in the downtown region of the city. The sun had finally decided to show its face and the weather was becoming bearable.

The group found a couple tables by the river and a hot-dog stand and sat down for a late lunch. Within seconds ducks were appearing, wading around in the water and quacking for food. "Aw, how cute!" Selphie squeaked, tossing bits and pieces of her meal into the river.

Axel and Reno reveled in wonder at the carousel across the river. The antique horses spun round and round, dazzling their short attention spans. There was no doubt that they were thinking about the whole thing being made of old wood, and how nicely it would burn. 'Round and 'round dance the burning horses.

Pence used roll after roll of film, running about taking pictures of the scenery. Riku and Namine held hands and walked around together, smiling and laughing. Everyone else was off doing their own thing, letting out all their energy before they'd have to cram themselves back in their cars for another couple of hours. The time they had set to meet back in the parking lot was 4 pm, a few minutes short of a half hour away.

Roxas and Kim lingered by the parking lot, bickering bitterly to each other. Roxas wanted to go off and explore, Kim didn't, and Roxas couldn't just leave her there to be by herself. So they sat there, trying to make small talk and running into one little argument after another.

Sooner than later they both lapsed into silence and Kim got back into the car, kicking max out. Max stumbled his way towards Roxas, panting and slobbering all over the place. "Come on, boy," Roxas finally gave up on trying to get Kim to do something, and decided to take max on a walk. "Let's stretch those legs."

Somewhere along the way Hayner had caught up with him, leaving Olette with Kairi near the carousel where there was a fake, metal goat that ate garbage that they thought was the coolest thing they'd ever seen.

"Hey," Hayner said, falling into step with Roxas after running to catch up with him. "What's up?"

Roxas shrugged. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and fixed his gaze to the back of his dogs head, watching the shaggy fur ruffle in the breeze.

"I haven't seen you without the girl attached to your side in the longest time," Hayner continued when it was obvious he wasn't going to get an audible response from Roxas. "Anything wrong?"

Roxas shook his head from side to side.

"Are you sure?" Hayner asked, poking Roxas in the arm.

Roxas looked up at him. "What? Do I look depressed or something?"

"Well, yeah, sorta." Hayner confessed, giving his best friend a sympathetic look. "And I also kinda overheard you and Kim last night."

"You were eavesdropping?"

"No- I just saw you two come back really late, and you passed my door and I heard you guys bickering and stuff."

"Sure."

"I swear!" Hayner said defensively. "I'm not sitting at your door listening. It's just I can hear it when she yells sometimes, you know? I'm pretty sure everyone hears it."

"Oh."

Hayner waited, but Roxas didn't say anything more. He just kind of stared at his feet, his hair partially falling over his eyes and his lips in a hard line. He seemed to be thinking really hard.

"So I take it you're not going to tell me what's going on?"

Roxas took a deep breath. "Just the same old same old."

"And?"

Roxas looked up again, looking into the distance at nothing in particular. "It's just discouraging. I mean, it's nothing I'm not used to. You just get tired of it after a while, you know?"

"What are you going to do about it?" Hayner asked, concerned. Roxas wasn't ever this down. About anything.

"I don't know. Probably just give her her space. She's becoming less and less happy with me – I might as well just leave her alone."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Hayner said, then reached out and patted Roxas on the shoulder. "It's been a long couple of days. She'll get over herself eventually."

Roxas half-smiled. Hayner was probably right – everyone was getting whiny and emotional. It would get better.

Hey, maybe if he bought some flowers and tried to act mature Kim wouldn't yell at him tonight. There was no harm in trying it out, but Roxas decided against it. No point in wasting his money.

**000**

After eating lunch at the park, Yuffie decided that it was time to become a vegetarian. After a half an hour of watching Axel and Reno stuff their mouths with several hot dogs at a time, thanking the slaughter houses in-between each bite, Yuffie announced that eating meat was a filthy habit and she would not participate in it anymore. Olette had never seen Yuffie turn such a shade of green as she watched Roxas's disgusting friends down hot dog after hot dog after greasy hot dog.

Axel and Reno only took amusement at this, and proceeded to not take Yuffie seriously at all. Not that they took _anyone_ seriously anyways. They poked and prodded at her, buying another round of hot dogs and, as they bit into the meat, whispered into her ear, "mmmm… murder."

"That's not even funny!" Yuffie cried. "I wish the men in the slaughter houses would cut _you_ into little bits and ship you across the country!"

Reno threw his hot dog to the gravely ground, slapped both his hands over his chest, and dramatically jerked his body backward like he'd been stabbed in the heart. Axel threw his head back and laughed one of those deep belly laughs. "Oh…oh god…" Reno coughed, "that one's gonna sting for a while."

Meanwhile, Riku and Sora were trying to get everyone back together and into the vehicles. "Hey!" Riku called to Yuffie, Reno, and Axel. "It's time to go!" he announced as Reno now sank to the ground and grabbed a hold of Yuffie's jeans. He was mumbling jokingly "_how could you say such a thing?"" What happened to our friendship?" _And "_But I thought you _loved_ me!" _while Axel sat back and watched, a big grin plastered on his face. The one thing those two enjoyed more than blowing things up was being the most annoying human beings within a 100 mile radius.

After everyone was finally in their cars, buckled up and ready to go, the group took off down the highway and watched Riverfront park and downtown through their windows until it got smaller and smaller, until it was just a dot on the horizon and then disappeared, and they were then in Mead (A/N: my home town! Yay!). Like most of the other towns they had driven through in Washington, there wasn't much. It mainly consisted of a highway-in-the-making, a strip mall, a couple of restaurants and, like all other places, a gigantic Wal-Mart.

Oh, and it was also very, very, very wet. The streets were big puddles and the sky was a monotone grey, almost completely opposite from downtown. That was another thing about the area: one minute or place it was sunny and hotter than hell, and then it was cold and damp. Like that commercial with the guy standing buy the tree and on one side there was a storm and on the other side it was bright and cheerful. So weird.

They kept on through mead until they wound back up in Spokane, the valley to be exact, and were by then a short hour and a half from Idaho State. From there, Roxas claimed, it would only take another two hours or so to reach their destination at last. But who was trusting Roxas anymore?

And, of course, Roxas was wrong. Four hours into Idaho, they still weren't there. Riku lead the pack of cars to an empty parking lot in a small town they were passing through, and then made a move towards Roxas after he stepped out of the car.

"What's the hold up for?" Roxas asked as all their friends stared through their car windows. "We're almost there!"

"You've been saying that the last two hours!" Riku said, trying to hold back the harshness in his tone. "Can you help me out just a _little_ more, please?"

"Okay, okay! Just calm down." Roxas took the folded up map Riku had in his left hand. He opened it up, laid it flat on the hood of the car, took out a red pen, and began explaining. He just barely noticed Kim shifting in her seat behind the windshield, staring intently at him. He did his best not to acknowledge her. "See, we're here," Roxas pointed, and continued after Riku nodded, "And this is where we're going," Roxas moved the red pen east across the map, stopping a couple inches away from where they supposedly were. Then he circled the area.

"What made you think we'd be there so quickly? We've still got, say, a hundred or so miles to go…"

"Sorry about that."

"I'm really tired, you know. This better be worth it."

"Oh, it will be. Trust me. Best camping trip ever." Roxas looked up at Riku with a look that said he was all business. Pshh. "Cross my heart, pal."

Riku's expression mirrored the way he felt; weary and uncertain. But he shrugged; too tired to think of anything else to do but listen to this idiot he called his friend. Even if something happened and they found themselves horribly lost in the states, at least they'd have an interesting story to tell their children someday.

Just then a car door opened, the drivers-side door to Kyle's truck, and Kyle leaned out to yell something at Riku. "Hey, man," he said, running a hand through his blue-grey hair and gazing around the parking lot with tired, icy blue eyes that were exactly like Riku's. "I'm starved. Can we stop by a restaurant or something…?"

Riku shrugged. "Uh, sure. But where?"

Kyle paused for a moment, checked the surroundings again, and then stretched out a long, bony arm and pointed in the direction of a small joint with a neon sign reading "Olive it."

"Sounds good to me," Roxas said, absent-mindedly rubbing his stomach.

They called everyone to get out of their cars and lock up. Riku left it to Roxas to explain to everyone that they were stopping to eat dinner in the middle of Idaho in onto God-knows-what town. And that it would be _another_ couple hours before they finally got to camp. Surprisingly, no one really had a problem or any objections or questions. Must have gotten used to the surprises.

They made their way in one big group to _Olive It_, which was a lot bigger than it looked on the outside. And better-looking. The walls were painted a grape-purple, decorated with various paintings and knick-knacks that were so weird and different from each other but somehow tied the whole room together perfectly with its various tables and chairs and stools of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. The floors were a deep, dark hardwood and the kitchen, without a door, was visible from the table (or a bunch of tables pushed together) that the large group was seated at. Leon got up to use the men's bathroom only to discover that it was out of order and he had to go in the woman's bathroom, which he was not excited about at all.

Their waitress, also (apparently) the manager, had a nametag that read "Catt," and handed them several menus and got drink requests, jotting them down on a little notepad with a warm, inviting smile. She had a mess of red hair with a variety of different colors streaked through pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun. A few strands fell in front of her face as she looked down at her note-pad and she blew them aside as she made a move for the pop machine and the glass cups that, like everything else, also didn't match. Not one was the same as another.

There was a faint music playing from somewhere as everyone figured out what they were going to order. The menu consisted mainly of flat-bread, grilled sandwiches and a number of dishes none of them had ever heard of before or dared to try.

"Hey, I know this song!" Hayner announced, and Catt peaked over her shoulder at him and snickered a little. Hayner, embarrassed, lowered his tone. "Kids with Guns, Gorillaz. Used to be my _favorite_."

"I like it, too," Catt said as she slowly lowered drinks onto the table. There were two young boys, younger than the Destiny Island gang, helping her carry all the sodas, teas, and milk. Catt was doing pretty well on her own, though. She had four glasses in each hand, expertly carrying them and setting them down one by one in front of whoever ordered what. Only God knows how she memorized who asked for what. Once she was finished and had sent the boys away, who disappeared into the kitchen and around a corner, she pulled out her notepad again and took out a sparkly orange pen. "So what can I get for you all? My personal favorite is the 3rd sandwich down there on the menu. Mozzarella, tomatoes, and vinegar. Yum."

"That sounds really good, actually," said Namine, setting down her menu and pushing it away from herself. "I'll take one of those."

Catt nodded, scribbling this down on her notepad before attending to all the others. The food was done and served faster than anyone there was used to, and tasted surprisingly delicious despite the odd descriptions on the menus.

For the next hour they all chatted amongst themselves, laughing and really looking like they were having a good time for the first time since the trip started besides the break at River Front Park. Pence took pictures with his camera that never left his side and Axel and Reno, for once, talked about something other than loud explosions. Even Leon seemed relaxed and peaceful, even with Yuffee yap-yap-yapping in his ear. Cloud and Aerith had gotten up to look at the restaurant's decorations that were all for sale while Catt told them how each piece was unique and all there because she was letting local, small businesses use the free space in her restaurant to show off their stuff. Cloud bought Aerith a hand-made, metal ring decorated with beads and one big, blue pearl looking thing in the center.

Most everyone else was in one big discussion about how awesome the sandwiches were and how they should stop by again on the way back, for sure. The only two who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves at all was Roxas and Kim, who both just picked at their food and sighed occasionally, not looking at each other or the colorful surroundings or their friends. They just sat there, quiet, avoiding the inevitable: a talk. They really needed to _talk._ They both shied away from each other, uneasy and nervous. Kim, though, was mostly just annoyed. She was in the middle of the longest-lasting bad mood Roxas had seen her in yet.

He studied Kim's facial expressions anxiously out of the corner of his eye, glancing down at his half-eaten sandwich whenever she noticed him staring. He curled his toes inside his shoes and picked the dirt from his fingernails to pass time, but the clock seemed to tick slower and slower with each passing second, ripping him apart with a subtle cruelty… oh, what he wouldn't give to just leave for a minute. Get some fresh air, think. _A walk, _Roxas thought. Surely there was time for one – everyone was having such a good time that they wouldn't even notice when he left, and he'd be back with time to spare. All he needed was ten minutes.

Roxas stood up abruptly, then, the legs of the chair making a faint _skreeetch _on the hardwood floor as he pushed it back. He shoved his hands in his pockets and made for the door without checking to see if anyone had noticed his sudden departure, confirming that noone had. A blast of chilly night-time air blew over him when he opened the front door, tousling his shaggy blonde hair and prying at his denim jacket. He exhaled, feeling the water particles in the air fly into his throat, down to his stomach, and crystallize there. It was freezing, to say the least.

As he walked left down the sidewalk he waited for a _click, _signaling that the door had shut behind him. When he didn't hear it, he looked back over his shoulder to see Kim there standing in the door frame, something burning there in her glassy, silver eyes. She stepped to the side and let the door swing shut, but hesitated to take a step closer to Roxas. He stopped walking, then, and slowly turned around to face her with about fifteen feet of space in-between them. He watched her, waiting for something, and like so many other times the last few days, all they did for what could have been hours was stare at each other.

Finally, Kim opened her mouth to say something, but her gaze quickly flitted to the ground, and she awkwardly scuffed at the sidewalk with her sneaker. Roxas cleared his throat, crossing his arms not out of impatience but because it was so damn cold. Truth was; Roxas could stand here all day and watch Kim look torn and uncomfortable because it was the most honest emotion he'd seen out of her in days. She looked up once more, seeming cautious (which was odd, considering her personality), and said, "where are you going?"

"Nowhere," he blurted. His response was too quick and surprised the both of them, and once again they lapsed into silence. Stuttering slightly, he waved a hand through the air, gesturing at nothing in general. "I mean, I was just taking a walk. _Going _to take a walk. I'm coming back – I, uh… yeah. A walk."

Kim didn't seem satisfied with his answer. "Oh," was all she offered back as she shifted her weight to her right leg. There was a longing in her expression that Roxas was sure he was just imagining, like she wanted to reach out and grab him by the arm, latch on and not let him go anywhere. Or like she really wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to word it. Or, possibly, she simply wanted to punch him in the throat. _Here we go, _Roxas thought_,_ knowing this was it.

_The talk. _

"Alright, what is it?" he asked, moving to lean against the brick wall.

He braced himself for the worst, crossing his arms and putting on the stoniest expression he could muster up. But what she said next wasn't what he was expecting at all. It was the_ last_ thing he'd expect to hear from her, actually. Something he'd only heard maybe two, three times before coming from her mouth: _"_I'm sorry_._"

Taken aback, he tried his best not to gawk at her. She looked at him with an un-steady expression, like this was just killing her (which he didn't doubt). Unable to form a response to this, and he couldn't just say "_It's okay," _because it wasn't, he just waited for her to continue.

"I'm just… Dealing with things." She muttered, almost too quiet for Roxas to hear. He took a few steps closer to her.

"Dealing with _what_?" he asked, but she ignored him and just kept on.

"And I don't really know how to say this, but-"

"Dealing with_ what?_"

"I'm not very good at handling my anger, and so I-"

"_Kim._"

She stopped talking then, a grimace twisting its way into her features. She looked like herself again in that moment; cruel and impatient. "If you knew what was good for you, you'd _fucking_ shut up, unless you enjoy getting stabbed. I'm standing here trying to explain myself and all you seem to want to do is scrutinize me!"

"You're the one who's been a complete bitch the last week! Why couldn't you have just _told _me you were in some kind of situation, whatever the hell it is, instead of ruining the _whole damn trip?_! You're supposed to be able to tell me these things, Kim! I'm your _boyfriend_! We've been through enough that I at least deserve a little honesty, right? I can't take this, Kim. I can't take _arguing _all the time with you. Nothing can go right between us!" Roxas paused briefly, just to take a breath, "Do I mean _nothing_ to you?"

Kim looked hurt for the first time since Alaska, like he'd really grabbed a hold of her heart and squeezed the life out of it. "_Christ_, Roxas! You have _no idea_, okay? None whatsoever!"

"Why didn't you just tell me about it?" Roxas inquired, repeating himself.

"Because I'm not good at relying on others, even you. You know that."

"So you were just going to push me away instead? Am I just a nuisance to you? A useless, bothersome idiot? You'll gladly tell me all about _that_. Daily." the instant those words were out of his mouth, Roxas felt unconditionally ashamed of himself. He wondered what kind of monster had possessed him, bringing him to a level so low as to yell at Kim, who _was_ fragile despite the show she put on and the walls she built around herself, when she was trying to make a sincere apology? He sighed and shook his head, as if to shake some sense into his brain, which obviously wasn't functioning right.

Kim looked like she'd been struck again. She fought with only marginal success to keep it off her face, shrinking away from him. "I'm _sorry_." She repeated. Her voice cracking on _sorry, _tone wavering and eyes watering like she might start crying. Her quivering lip quickly turned into a scowl, though, and Roxas opened his mouth to apologize himself, but she never gave him the chance. In one smooth motion she was in front of him, and the noise Roxas's cheek made when she slapped him was so loud and violent he heard it play in his mind over and over again, like a broken tape recorder. He just stood there, head frozen to the side and skin burning like it was set to flame.

"Kim…" was all Roxas managed as the furious girl turned to escape to the car, lock all the doors, and scream. She barely hesitated at the sound of her name, so Roxas jumped to grab her arm and drag her back. She swirled around to face him again, ripping her hand out of Roxas's grasp, teeth bared and nose flared.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted at him, stumbling back a few feet. Clearly, she was hysterical. Roxas had really pushed a few buttons she didn't want him to push, but he wouldn't let her escape with the air between them the way it was. This needed to stop.

"Kim, please, wait. Just wait." Roxas begged, "I didn't mean for it to come out like that...I…" Roxas paused, searching for words, and was grateful when Kim didn't turn away again. She stood there, eyes fixed on him expectantly and narrowed to thin slits. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. Er… I did. I'm sorry. I'll listen, now. I promise." Kim didn't look convinced. When she didn't say anything, Roxas continued, "I'm just confused. Why didn't you tell me something was wrong? What are you so afraid of?"

Kim's face fell at that, and she looked to the side – at what, who knows. Anything but Roxas. "Everything," she admitted. "Not that you give a shit." She looked down then, and looked truly, genuinely remorseful. "But I don't blame you. I'm not all that great of a person, apparently. Obviously."

"No, Kim I…" Roxas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, using all the strength in his body not to go bash his head into the wall. He pressed his forefingers to his temples. "I don't know what came over me, I swear. You're not a bad person, Kim… Just… um. One of a kind. I didn't mean to say that-" he kicked at the ground, "I don't even know what to say to you. I'm sorry. I really do mean it, though."

Kim didn't reply. Didn't even offer him any emotion. She just stood there, staring, grey eyes void of anything. Except maybe a little sadness, lingering there from before when she'd followed him out here. Seeing her, Roxas felt like he was being stabbed repeatedly in the heart. That was definitely something he deserved.

"I care about you." Roxas said, one final attempt to convince her he meant it. He looked her in the eyes, hoping that she would believe him. "Don't ever doubt that. I'm here. Whenever you need me. Always."

"Prove it," Kim said. Kim couldn't hide or hold it back any longer, and the longing sadness ruptured her walls, leaving herself unguarded by her constant anger and completely vulnerable. She stood there, cold wind whipping through her hair, arms dangling at her sides, nothing but herself. Roxas had finally gotten to her like he'd always wanted to, but not the way he'd seen himself doing it. He took a deep breath and took a step closer.

"Okay," he said, and she glared at him, but he wasn't fazed. He closed the distance between them with three short steps before she could stumble back, and, ducking down in a flash, he fiercely snatched her up in his arms and held her there like he had in Alaska, when he truly believed she was all he had left in the world. She made a gasp at his suddenness, but the noise was muffled as her face was pressed into the shoulder of his jacket. She felt Roxas's arms, one wrapped around her firmly just below her shoulder blades and the other at her waistline, folding her body into his. He buried his head in the hair around her neck; eyes shut tight, breath warm and slow.

Kim choked for air, looking up at the navy blue – grey sky, where a couple stars started to appear like bright, glistening specks of dust. Her arms were locked at her sides, unable to move in Roxas's iron grip, impossible to break free from. Not that that was what she was thinking of at the moment as Roxas opened his mouth and spoke something into her ear, softly and with more meaning poured into the words that Kim thought Roxas was capable of, though he was a lot more kind-hearted that she was. Without a hint of uncertainty or hesitation in his voice, he said, "I love you," like those three little words were the most sacred of any language, and came straight from his heart. "So very, very much."

Kim closed her eyes. She squeezed them shut so tightly, with so much force, trying to lock in all the emotion that was sure to pour out any moment now. But her efforts were in vain. She stood there, silently shaking with tears as Roxas held her tight, feeling secure there. Like she truly belonged in his arms, and she was just now allowing herself to believe that completely, letting him in more than she ever had before, even while they were in Alaska, about to die laying right beside each other, hands intertwined.

"We've been through too much to be acting like we have, Kim. This needs to end. Just let me in… I don't know what it is you're going through, but I'm not like the others. I would do _anything_ for you. Please believe me." Roxas said, smoothing a hand over her hair, sliding it down to the small of her back.

"I believe you." Kim said, mouth moving against his shirt, the words slurring together. He must not have heart it, because he just continued, loosening his grasp a little. Kim took the freedom of movement he allowed to look up at him, to inch her hands up his chest.

"I'm not going to walk away from you. Not now, not ever. If I wanted to it would have happened a long-" before Roxas could finish his sentence, Kim's mouth was pressed against his, stealing the breath from Roxas's lungs. Taken off guard, he just stood there, paralyzed, until reality caught up with him and he could feel Kim's soft lips, her hand pressed against his cheek, one arm wrapped around his neck.

Kim pulled away before Roxas could manage to kiss her back and looked him in the eyes, her steely orbs pulsing with adoration and tenderness, and it was like the whole world stopped. All that was left in that moment was the two of them, gazes locked, the moment so intimate and warm that Roxas was sure he was imagining the whole thing from start to finish. "I believe you," Kim repeated, half-nodding, in case he hadn't heard her that time either.

So this really was happening, Roxas thought, trying his hardest not to laugh, to throw his arms into the air and do a happy-dance. Instead he smiled, a sort of half-chuckle escaping his lips, like a sharp exhale. He used his thumb to wipe the salt water from under Kim's eyes, trailing his fingers softly along her check and under her chin, tilting the angle of her head slightly, drawing her face nearer to his again. "and I love you, too," Kim finished, speaking with such a softness that even she _herself_ never knew she was able to do.

And with that, Roxas closed the space between their lips and they were kissing once more. Slowly, at first, and then with more passion and fever, unaware of any and all passersby's. Kim's hand slid from Roxas's cheek to the back of his neck, and she held his face there closer against hers, not because she was afraid he'd pull away but because the warmth felt nice on the palm of her hand. They stood there like that on the sidewalk for the longest time, wrapped up in each others arms, energy pulsing through them, lips moving together rhythmically, forgetting the cold. And unlike so much of the stupid shit that's happened since they met, this was perfect. Absolutely, 100 percent flawless.

**000**

"Oh, fuck…" Riku mumbled, watching as Roxas and Kim passionately sucked each other's faces off right in front of the window where everyone could see them. And sure enough, everyone was staring, including Namine, whose eyes were wide and unbelieving, jaw dropped almost literally to the floor. Roxas was in for it.

Though Riku knew that Roxas was a dumb ass for pouring out his feelings for Kim in plain sight, he still felt bad for the poor guy. He just got out of one tough argument and soon would have to talk his way out of another. And he knew, by personal experience, that Namine could be just as bad as Kim. Sometimes, worse. And judging by the expression on her face, quickly twisting from utter shock to downright fury, Riku guessed worse. Namine's hands shook. She was becoming angrier and angrier every second, flaring her nostrils and flexing her arms and legs like she might spring out of the chair any second and attack. Riku knew there was an animal in everyone, but…

And then, Namine's features changed slightly, like she just remembered something – but the animal-like anger still was evident on her face. She slowly turned her head around towards Riku, narrowing her lovely blue eyes at him. "Oh, fuck?" she asked, gripping the armrests on her chair, looking even more like she might launch herself right out of it. "You_ knew_ about that?"

Riku closed his eyes and pressed his fists to his temples. _Oh, for the love of everything that is holy… _he thought. He didn't want to open his eyes again, to look at Namine's rage stricken face. But, when he opened his eyes, her expression was significantly softer.

"How long have you known?" she asked in a normal volume, if not slightly more than a whisper. Riku sighed. Namine shook her head and stood up, crossing her arms across her chest as she walked away towards the women's bathroom. Kairi, who had been watching them rather than the whole charade that was going on outside, got up shortly after Namine did and sprinted to catch up with her.

"How come girls always run away to the bathroom together when something bad happens? Or, when _anything_ at _all_ happens. It's weird." Pence said, looking disgusted. "Do they just sit on the toilets and talk for a half hour, or is there something we need to know about going on in there…?"

Pence's remark was ignored as Riku stood up and grabbed his keys, setting enough money to cover his and Namine's meal on the table plus a tip for the odd server. He warmed his hands in his pockets as he stepped outside, quickly hurrying down the walk towards his car, away from Roxas and Kim who were probably still going at it.

**000**

Kim abruptly pulled away from Roxas when there was a little _ding_, signaling that the restaurant door had been opened. Confused at first, Roxas just stared at Kim's terror stricken face, wondering what had caught her immediate attention, what was so dang important – and then it hit him. When he looked up, and saw Riku stalking off towards his brother's truck, he suddenly felt sick. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, towards the window, hoping for the best but seeing the worst he could have imagined possible. Everyone… _Everyone_ was staring at them. There was an odd noise coming from something, and he realized it was coming from him – he was gasping, noises of panic escaping from his lips. "Oooh!" he whined, letting go of Kim and hiding his head in the palms of his hands with shame. "Oh, nonononono!"

He looked back into the window through his fingers, scanning the room inside, looking from face to face to face. So much for his secret – he realized with revulsion– now everyone knew. He studied each shocked, blown away face looking for Namine's, who was sure to be fuming right now – maybe already on her feet and headed outside to bash his head into the brick wall. But he couldn't find her. He saw Hayner and Sora, who looked dismayed, shaking their heads with pity. He saw Pence, camera in hand, who looked bashful and quickly hid it behind his back as soon as they made eye contact. He saw Selphie and Olette, whose expressions were mixed with confusion and disgust, Alex and Reno who had doubled over laughing, Kyle, Riku's brother, absolutely confused and the entire gang of Aerith, Cloud, Yuffee, and Leon whose expressions matched Kyle's.

Kim went ridged all over. Expertly masking her emotions as she always did, she turned her back on the building and headed for the car, where even Max seemed to know that something was horribly wrong. Smart dog.

Roxas looked after her over his shoulder, the corners of his mouth tugging down. He closed his eyes again and bowed his head. "Damn It, damn it, damn it…" he cursed. He balled his fists, feeling himself shake a little, and when he looked up again ever so slightly he saw Namine appear from the bathroom, Kairi trailing close behind, staring right at him.

And at that moment he became very angry. _Extremely _angry. His head was filling with so much hot air he felt like it mike explode with white-hot fury. How _dare _Namine judge him? What was it to her who he fell in love with and who he didn't? Why should it matter? She had no honest right to be glaring at him like she was at this moment, stalking towards the door.

He realized quickly, though, that it wasn't him that Namine was glaring at. It was Kim, sitting in the car, who was glaring right back. Roxas took a few more steps back away from the door when Namine stepped out into the cold, expecting something vicious, but instead of even just_ looking_ at Roxas Namine just turned away from him and headed to the same place as Riku had gone. And as she did, Roxas thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach, being ignored was much worse that being yelled at. Much worse.

**000**

Riku sat in the truck for a while in silence, trying to comprehend what just happened. So… Namine probably felt betrayed. But, it wasn't like he had lied to her, _was it_? It wasn't even a topic that they ever discussed, so if he was supposed to bring it up, when was he supposed to do it? And what if he had, what about Roxas? Roxas had begged him to keep the whole affair a secret, and Riku _promised_. But even if he hadn't, he still wouldn't have told anyone. The thought of discussing one of his best friends dating his ex girlfriend… it repelled him. So what had he_ really_ done wrong? One way or another Namine was going to find out, and Riku would_ not_ stab his friend in the back by spilling the info first.

Interrupting Riku's train of thought, there was a knock on the passenger's side window. It was Namine, he saw, as he looked up. She didn't look betrayed. Or even angry. Just tired.

Riku reached over and unlocked the door. Namine lifted herself up into the seat and shut the door weakly at her side, folding her arms around herself and staring blankly out the window in front of her. Riku followed her gaze to the rest of the parking lot, where everyone was filing back into their cars with boxes of leftover food and grim expressions. Some of them were talking, no doubt filling in the blanks. Telling the story to those who were clueless. About how Namine and Kim were mortal enemies. How Kim was Riku's nasty ex girlfriend who sent Namine to the hospital a little over a year ago. How Roxas had _hated_ Kim for it, how he had always been protective over Namine, but now somehow he was _with_ Kim. And how Namine now, probably, never wanted to speak to Roxas again.

As Riku stared into the parking lot, the last of his friends crawling into their cars, he saw what Namine was staring so intently at. It was Roxas, knelt down next to his cars passenger door with the window rolled down. There was a thin, small thing coming from out of the window – Kim's hand – that Roxas had both his hands wrapped around. He had his head tilted slightly to the side, and was saying something, the look in his eyes full of something very familiar to Riku.

Love.

It showed through Roxas's terror as he tried to comfort him, stroking her hand and kneeling there on the hard, wet pavement.

Namine exhaled, rolling her head to the side, away from Riku. Riku reached over to touch her shoulder, waiting for her to bat his hand away, but she didn't. Instead she leaned _into_ his hand, and then turned over to lean her whole body into his. Riku wrapped both his arms around her and held her there for a while, rubbing her back and whispering to her about how much he loved her, about how sorry he was for not being honest. Through it all she said nothing, even as she was pulling away and Riku started the truck, driving out into the road after Roxas who would, hopefully, lead them successfully to wherever it was they were supposed to go. He had the map.

It wasn't until late into the night when Namine opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry." She said, and when Riku gave her a confused expression, she continued, "I shouldn't have over-reacted like that. It was a very nice thing you did for Roxas, keeping a secret like that. You're a very good friend."

There was a pause. And then, Riku said, "Thanks for understanding. I didn't mean to… _Lie_ to you."

"But you weren't," Namine retorted, leaning back in her seat and folding her hands in her lap, "you were just being loyal. To your friend."

"Being loyal to you is much more important to me."

"Well, at least I know for sure now that you won't go around telling all my secrets," Namine said, and then laughed a little despite herself. Riku could tell that she was still feeling gloomy, but she was trying very hard to change that.

Riku gave a little chuckle, too, glancing at her again. He wished somebody else were driving, or that the car could just drive itself, so he could look at her when they were talking. For a while there after that, there was more silence, but as they pulled into one last gas station before their final destination, Riku stopped the car and turned toward Namine once more, reaching a hand over to stroke her cheek. "I love you," he said. "More than anything. More than life itself. Don't ever doubt that – don't ever stop believing in me. Please."

Namine leaned her head into the palm of Riku's hand. "Okay," she said, smiling warmly at him. "I love you, too." She looked down at her ring then, taking it off and turning it around over and over again in her hand, and then finally reached for the small silver chain that Riku was wearing around his neck. She strung the ring onto it, and then had Riku help her put it on.

Smiling, she took Riku's hand and held it over where her heart should be, and where the ring was dangling from the necklace. "There," she said. "Now it'll always be right next to my heart. Where it should be."

Seeming touched by this, Riku leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Under his hand he felt Namine's heartbeat still, after all the time they had been together, after everything they'd been through, going a mile a minute.

**000**

"So what in the _hell _was that?" Leon finally asked after an impossibly long 20 minute awkwardly-silent drive from _Olive It_. Yuffee giggled a little bit, automatically slapping a hand across her mouth to muffle the sound. She was always laughing at the most inappropriate things to laugh at. In the back seat Aerith just shrugged. Cloud ignored Leon's remark entirely. "I didn't even realize they were _together_. Don't they, uh… Hate each other's guts?"

"Oh, please," Yuffee opened her mouth, "it was so obvious. That whole 'I can't stand you' act was as easy to see through as a glass window. They totally want to have each other's baby." Aerith cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry," Yuffee apologized, "that was a bit blunt, wasn't it?"

**000**

Pence did not successfully keep his camera out of the reach of Hayner. He had snatched it just as they were getting in the car, holding it out as far into the air as he could, using Pence's shortness against him while he looked at the pictures on memory. Instantly, he was disgusted.

"Why," Hayner started, paused, and then resumed his thought, "_why _did you photograph that? What possessed you to want to-"

"Man, give it back!" Pence interrupted, jumping with an outstretched hand. He couldn't quite reach his camera. "That is an expensive piece of technology!"

"Sure, I'll give it back. If you promise to erase these pictures." Hayner offered up, but Pence only looked perturbed, unwilling to oblige. "Hey – I'm only looking out for you, buddy. If Roxas finds out, or – the heavens and the earth and everything that is holy forbid, _Kim_ – you're going to get your _ass _kicked. It might not work right when they're finished with you. You might have to poop out your belly-button from then on."

Pence was appalled. "That is _nasty_."

"No," Hayner pointed at the screen on the camera, which displayed a picture of Roxas and Kim from the scene earlier. "_This_ is nasty. And will definitely get you hurt."

**000**

"You knew, too?" Kairi asked. Sora just nodded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wow. I'm not mad or anything, but wow. How do you keep a secret like that for so long?"

"Eh," Sora shrugged, "I just tried to forget about it."

"Who else knew?" Kairi asked, twirling a piece of red hair around her index finger.

"Hayner did, that's for sure. Other than Riku, Hayner, and me, though, I don't know. Reno and Axel, _maybe_, though I don't see why Roxas would even think about telling them. They have big mouths."

"Do you think Roxas and Kim are okay? You'd think they'd be relieved to have such a big weight lifted off their shoulders, but… They don't look happy."

"Well, Roxas knows Namine's infuriated with him." Sora explained. "As for Kim, I have no idea why you're concerned with her. The girl is a cold-hearted bitch, I'm sure she doesn't give a crap."

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, shocked. "Did you not hear the argument they had? She does _too_ have feelings. They're just buried. I sort of feel bad for the poor girl."

"Since when has Kim ever given us a reason to ever feel sorry for her?" Sora asked, shaking his head. "She nearly sends Namine to the hospital the first week she's dating Riku. She makes Roxas miserable. She does nothing but glare at the rest of us. Seriously, Kairi, has she ever said a nice word to you? Have you ever even _heard_ her say something that wasn't vicious or cold?"

"_Yes,_" Kairi 'humfed,' folding her arms across her chest. The truth was, though, that she really couldn't remember a time that Kim had been kind. Not that she would admit this. "Seriously, Sora. Just try to see the good in her for two seconds. It's there. Somewhere."

"Pfft," Sora huffed, "yeah, sure. Somewhere. It's fossilized in her stone heart."

Kairi pursed her lips. Even though Sora was being unreasonable, she decided it would be wise just to end this conversation right now. "Okay, Sora. You win."

Sora sighed. "Sorry. I'm kind of being a jerk, aren't I?" when Kairi nodded, he took a deep breath.

"It's okay," she said, "but I think we should move off of this subject. I'm not one for drama of this sort."

Sora laughed at this. "Okay. Should we play car games, then? I bet you couldn't beat me at a game of _category_."

Kairi smirked. "Oh please. Bring it on."

**A/N: **Hmm. Some funnies and some fluffies. More to come. Soon, let's hope. Ta ta for now! Again, I would sing with joy if you left me an opinion! Thanks mucho. :)


	73. Another Story

**A/N: **THIS IS IT.

The last chapter! But before I can drone on too much more, here you are: The final installment of _Another Story. _At last.

Like I said… It's fluffy. Loads upon loads up pure, sugary fluff. Enjoy, my friends.

I just have one thing to say before you finish reading the story here; writing this, and all of you readers, and this website in general have changed my life. Had I not stumbled upon it and gotten so many thoughtful reviews, I'd have never discovered how much I love to write, nonetheless read. I discovered my passion here, and met a lot of friends along the way. It's been an adventure, and my fan fictions end here – I'm moving on to work on my various novels I've been trying to write and perfect. Look forward to seeing my books on the shelves, with dedications in them to all of you! Message me or comment me if you would like my full name to make finding my books a lot easier. Thank you all so very much! I'm sad I'm moving on, but excited as well. I'm also trying not to cry. No, seriously. But no more of this! Onto the last chapter we go!

**Disclaimer: **for the final time; no.

**CHAPTER 71 PART 3 OF 3**

After the last rest stop, the group embarked on the supposed last two hours of the trip. Despite how tired and road-weary everyone was (it had even started to get to Selphie, of all the bundles of joy in the world), excitement was building. The land that stretched on before them, though, was becoming even more barren. Farmland stretched miles and miles into the distance, where mountains formed that seemed to be surrounding them on all sides. There were a few clusters of trees here and there, but this was about it. Everyone was really starting to wonder just what their campsite was going to look like, and most of them were hoping it wouldn't be like this. How boring...

A while later, Roxas was calling everyone and assuring them that they were in fact very close, in the last half hour of travel even. The clusters of trees were becoming more in number and thicker and thicker, but most of the land was still just farmland. Roxas pulled his car ahead of everyone else's so he could lead the way again.

It was becoming very dark. Thankfully, Mother Nature decided to spare them of rain tonight. Despite the warm night weather and everyone's sudden excitement, though, Roxas was anything but happy right now. From the point that they left _Olive It, _it had been completely silent in the car besides the occasional mention of something, Roxas's phone calls, and Max's panting. Instead of just sitting there in the awkwardness, Roxas stayed on the phone with Riku talking about how familiar everything looked and explaining to him that the camp site they were going to was a place his dad used to take him and his friends the summers that they would stay here in a cabin close to lake Coeur d'Alene.

And then, just when it was dark enough to where most of the stars in the sky were visible, Roxas could see the campsite in the distance. He smiled despite his depressed state, laughing into the phone and saying that it was within sight.

"_But I don't see anything_…" Riku said on the other line, confused. Roxas could barely hear Namine asking: _Are we here? Really?_She didn't sound so upset as before… Good.

"You don't yet. See that thick bunch of trees up ahead? It kind of looks like the forest on the mountain got a small chunk taken out of it and it was put here. Yeah – duh – the biggest one around. It's in there. There's a driveway along the road that you can pull up into the trees from. What? Yes, there's an actual driveway. No, it's not an official camping site. Sort of. Just wait, you'll see." Roxas was explaining, knowing that he probably wasn't making much sense.

Beside Roxas Kim sat silently, looking ahead of her, trying to figure out where the campsite was as well. The slight curiosity in her eyes was the most emotion Roxas had seen the last 2 hours. He wished she wouldn't seal herself off like she did when things got tough and emotions ran deep. At least he could sympathize with her though – he wasn't much for showing when he was upset, either. And at least now he knew that she _was_ feeling something, instead of nothing like it would seem to a random passerby.

Roxas pressed his phone into the shirt material on his shoulder and turned towards Kim. "Almost here," he whispered, tilting his head slightly towards hers. He offered up a warm smile, only to have Kim's hand pushed immediately against his cheek, forcing him to look at the road again, which he was swerving off of a little bit. "Oops, sorry." He snickered, trying not to sigh. He said goodbye to Riku and hung up the phone, and then threw it onto his lap.

Roxas slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road, and then stopped the car all together. Kim stared at him, alarmed. Several cars slowed and then stopped behind Riku's, who was shouting out his window. Roxas rolled down his window and shouted back. "It's literally right down the road. So hard to miss. You'll figure it out – I'll be there in a second. I just need a minute." Riku was obviously annoyed, but decided against arguing. He put his car back in drive and crept down the road at 10 miles an hour maximum, overly cautious not to miss this supposed driveway. The other cars inched along behind him, everyone staring at Roxas and Kim as they passed by. Roxas waited until they all passed by, at which point Riku found what he was looking for and pulling into the thick trees.

"What are you doing?" Kim demanded. The alarm hadn't left her expression. How odd to see Kim this way.

"I wanted to talk to you," Roxas admitted, shrugging easily. He smiled again, slightly, the left corner of his mouth twitching up.

"Don't you want to see the looks on their faces?" Kim asked, looking out into the distance where the last car was pulling into the campsite. "You've been going on-and-on about-"

"Kim," Roxas held up a hand to silence her, which he was prepared to be punished for, but she didn't seem to care. "It's okay. I would much rather clear things up than with you than watch my friends gawk at a run-down Christian campsite." Kim didn't ask. "I want to be here. With you."

"Clear things up…?" Kim questioned, raising an eyebrow, though Roxas knew that she knew what he meant.

"You said… earlier… that you were _dealing_ with something. I know you don't want to talk about it now, but it's driving me crazy. I have to know what's wrong."

"Roxas," Kim began, hesitant. "I don't want to ruin your fun at camp or anything, but-"

"No!" Roxas stopped her, pressing his fingers to his temples. "_No_, it _isn't about that_. It's about me helping you get through whatever it is you're going through, not only because I'm a kind person but because I'm your _boyfriend_, too. And I want there to be _no _secrets. _None_." This was followed by silence. Kim just stared at him, and Roxas sighed. He took both her hands in his. "I can't help you unless you let me, Kim. You have to let me."

Kim bit her lower lip, and looked for a shocking moment like she might cry. She quickly gained her composure back, and pulled her hands out of Roxas's. "It's nothing to worry about right now. Let's just go-"

"Kim." Roxas said, staring straight into her eyes, locking their gazes.

In the backseat, Max barked suddenly, and the hold Roxas had on her eyes was lost. Roxas unlocked his door and jumped out, then jogged around to Kim's side. He opened her door and kneeled beside her, taking one of her hands in his. "Please? I'm _begging _you."

Kim sighed, leaning back into her seat and looking down at her feet. Finally she said, "Okay, Roxas." Roxas waited. For a long moment Kim said nothing, but then she turned to face him again and her features were twisted, a mixture of emotions she had been keeping hidden behind her mask. Roxas tried not to flinch, still getting used to her recent displays of vivid emotion that he wasn't used to. "I am… in a lot of trouble," Kim began, inhaling noisily, and closing her eyes. "Mostly with my dad… there have been some… past situations, memories that I have been forced to remember… That are very hard for me." Roxas thought that it seemed wrong that she spoke of this so formally, logically, but he kept quite. At least Kim was saying anything at all. Kim had paused for a moment, though, so Roxas took the opportunity to jump at an important question that had jumped out at him.

"What is your dad doing?" Roxas demanded seriously, and tried not to feel hurt when Kim stared at him with a hint of surprise, like she wasn't expecting him to really listen. _Of course_ he was going to listen.

"I'm not done yet," Kim said. At that, she continued, trying to keep her face as hard as possible. "So a couple of weeks ago, someone showed up at the house, and made a lot of trouble."

"Someone that I know?" Roxas asked.

Kim sighed. "Yes. You know him."

"Who is it?"

Kim hesitated, but spit the name out. "_**Fa'an…**_"

Roxas felt his whole body jerk forward and shake with fury and alarm. "_Fa'an_?" he hollered, clenching his fists. Kim had to wrench her hand back again because his grip was hurting her. "What is _Fa'an_ still doing here?"

"Looking for me," Kim said, looking distressed. "He marched right into our home, mine and my dad's home, with a key I had given him a long time ago. He trashed _everything_. He got in my father's face and threatened to kill _everyone_ we know. And then… and then he started screaming to me about when we were younger and what a stupid child I was and how my mother…" Kim cut off to take a deep breath before she began again. "The nightmares haven't stopped since he left that night and told us he'd be back. I've dreamed of my mother and father fighting when I was a kid… of the beatings I took as punishment for being a _child_, and of always being completely alone. I've even dreamed of Fa'an returning… of being killed brutally, which I know he is capable of. I grew up around Fa'an and his family, though we hadn't ever really talked until High School. And you know how _that _went… My dad's been so freaked out and paranoid that he's selling the home while I'm here, and says I can't follow him wherever he's going. He won't even_ tell_ me where he's going. He's just _leaving. _Like my mother had_._" At this point Kim had started to cry. At this point, there was no way she could hold the tears back. They sat there for a long while, and the tears came and came and came.

Roxas stroked Kim's hair, and then finally wrapped his arms around her, while trying to take all of this in. _Completely_ not what he expected. He was nearly moved to outright madness. Had it not been for Kim sitting right here with him, he might have gone crazy knowing Kim was so tortured inside, that Fa'an was back, that both her parents were gone. He felt a surge of relief thinking about how far away they were from home right now.

Strong, independent Kim was crippled in his arms, broken and shaking. "Oh, Kim…" he said.

"So pretty much," Kim continued, unsuccessfully trying to breathe correctly, "when we get back, I won't have a home. Nowhere to go. Not to mention Fa'ans out there somewhere."

"I'll kill the bastard."

"Don't joke around! Be serious!" Kim spat, disgusted by the comment that - unknowingly to her - wasn't actually a joke this time.

Roxas gripped her chin and made her look at him. His eyes found hers, and they were honest and unfaltering. "I am 100 percent serious."

Kim swallowed. "Okay, so you're serious. But you won't be able to do so. Kill him, I mean."

"You doubt me?"

This time it was Kim who was looking him straight in the eye. She had stopped crying, the salt water dried on her cheeks. "He's insane. And you're too… _good_. Good people can't kill."

"I'm stronger than he is."

"He's got weapons."

"I don't care."

"_Roxas._" Kim took his face in both her hands, leveling her head with his. He could feel her breath warming his skin. When she spoke, her voice was steady. "Do not be suicidal in an attempt to protect me." When Roxas said nothing, Kim added, "I mean it. Confront him and I'll kill you, if he doesn't kill you himself. I will_ not_ tolerate you putting yourself in danger like that. Not for me. Not for anyone."

"But you would do the same for me." Roxas said matter-of-factly. He knew she wouldn't argue with this.

Kim was about to reply to his statement when he pressed his mouth to hers. It was a short kiss; he didn't wait for her to return it before he pulled away, his face still held in her hands, their lips making a _popping_ sound as they separated. Kim looked stunned, but somehow, Roxas could tell, a hint more relaxed. He took this as an invitation to kiss her again. And again. He smothered her mouth with small, short kisses, tilting his head into hers when she responded to him. All the while, Kim kept hold of his face as they shifted into each other, Kim leaning into the car seat and Roxas leaning into the car, pressing most of himself against her as best as he could angle himself so. But before Roxas was finished, Kim pulled away slightly, the tip of her nose still barely touching his. Roxas's blonde bangs fell across her forehead. His blue eyes blinked in surprise.

"I don't have as much to lose as you do, Roxas. My life counts for less."

Roxas was appalled. Immediately, he drew back farther from her, and her hands fell from his cheeks. "_How_ can you _say_ that?"

Kim didn't hesitate to answer him, as though she'd always known the answer to this. As if she'd already thought it out, and was completely confident about her logic. "You have a family. Friends. _Good_ friends. You have a life here."

"I have you, too." Roxas stated.

Kim shook her head. "No, Roxas. _I_ have _you_. You're all that I have, in fact. And much more than I deserve."

"How does that make you any less of a person? You didn't _choose_ to have your parents abandon you. You didn't _choose_ to have a **maniac** after you. You didn't _choose_ to have anything that's happened to you happen, to have lost what you have lost." Roxas stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "And you deserve the world, Kim. And more. How many times do I have to tell you how special you are before you get it?"

"But we're always fighting. You said yourself- I drive you crazy. Don't I?" Kim retorted, determined not to lose this discussion. Roxas would not prove wrong a conclusion she had come up with long ago. She knew what she was worth, especially compared to him.

Roxas sighed heavily. "Only because you constantly fail to understand, Kim. I wish you would just believe me. I love you. I love you so much. And for a reason. You're not seeing that reason."

"Tell me, Roxas," Kim said, crossing her arms. "What is this reason?"

"You." Roxas stated. "I love you for _you_. I can see the real you, underneath all of that pain you won't let go of and that mask you wear all the time. I can see the you that other people refuse to look for. You're beautiful, Kim, in many more ways than just the universal term."

That threw Kim off. Instead of trying to come up with a response, she stayed silent.

Roxas reached out and unfolded her arms, and took a firm grip on her hands so she couldn't pull away from him again. "Stop closing yourself off from the world. There's a lot out there that you're missing out on. If you want friends, I don't have to be your only one. If you want a family," Roxas pointed to the campsite, "There's a family in there that would welcome you if you gave them the time of day and then a lot of patience. I promise. They're good people, too."

"But, I don't-"

"Kimberly," Roxas said, using her full name for the first time. "Just open up. Be yourself. Can it really be that hard? What are you so afraid of?"

Kim bit her lip. "It's not as easy as you think it is." And, it wasn't. How was she just supposed to let her guard down, after it's been up all her life? How was she supposed to just knock down these walls she built to numb everything? How was she supposed to be _weak_? Her guard had been what kept her alive all this time, kept her safe. Let little out, let little in. No pain, no suffering.

As though Roxas could read her thoughts, he said, "It will make you stronger, you know, to actually_ live_."

"So, what, then, am I supposed to do? Skip in a field of wheat while Fa'an stalks around in the shadows, waiting? While I have no place to sleep?" Kim was becoming angry. She tried in vain to shake off Roxas's hands.

"That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying you don't have to be afraid. No one's going to throw rocks at you for opening up, besides Fa'an, of course, but he'll be taken care of. And I know you've probably heard this a million times over, but I mean it. You'll be so much happier. And I'm not saying that I expect you to change overnight. I expect you to _try_, though."

Kim thought this over for a long time. Roxas waited, never taking his eyes off of her. Finally, she took in a deep breath, and said, "Fine, I'll try."

"Do you promise?" Roxas pressed, squeezing her hands.

"I do." Kim mustered up a smile. "I promise."

Roxas smiled back. His grin was big and warm, maybe a hint triumphant, even.

"You really have a way with words, sometimes, you know." Kim admitted. She leaned her head back, resting it on the seat. "No one's ever taken the time to argue with me quite like you have." (What MY response would have been to Roxas's speech in the A/N below…).

Roxas shrugged. "What can I say? I've had a long time to think about how to get through to you. I hope it worked this time."

"I said I would try," Kim sighed, "not that I would present you with a miracle."

"Hm." Roxas hummed. He leaned in towards Kim, Stopping when their lips were just a fraction of an inch apart. His bangs brushed Kim's forehead, and she sighed again, but lighter this time. Roxas could almost see the smile on her face before he kissed her, letting go of her hands to wrap one arm around her back and pull her up out of the car and onto her feet, and to tangle a hand in her dark hair, caressing her ear with his thumb.

Suddenly, Roxas broke away. "I forgot! Your living arrangements!"

"Oh." Kim gave him a look. "I completely forgot about that for a moment, there."

"!" Roxas beamed. "You're lightening up!"

"Does 'lightening up' mean 'being an idiot' in your world?"

"Only sometimes." Roxas snickered.

Kim rested her cheek against his chest, lacing her fingers together behind his back. She sighed happily. "I have an idea. About where I'll live until I can find my dad."

"You're going to look for your dad?"

"Well, _yeah_. There's no way I'm going to just let him just _run away_. 'Bastard needs to get it straight."

"_That's what I'm talking about_!" Roxas exclaimed. "That's the spirit!" Kim smiled. "Before you explain your elaborate plan of living in a run-down apartment building and getting a job to me, I'm letting you know that you'll be staying at my apartment. If you're going to live in a crappy apartment, it might as well be mine."

"Whoa, hold on," Kim looked up at him. "Don't go pushing your luck with me, here. Just because I like you doesn't mean I want to be around you 24/7."

"I have an extra bedroom…" Roxas smiled deviously. "I could have my brother lend me his extra futon and I'll sleep on that and you can have my bed until I've saved up enough to buy another and-"

"I am NOT going to live with you in your apartment." Kim said sternly. To emphasize her point, she pulled away from him. Roxas looked down and frowned at the 12-inch space that was now between them.

"Oh, come on. There's room. I'll try my hardest not to be annoying." Roxas begged. "please?"

"What will your friends think?"

"Riku and Namine live together, and nobody gives a damn." Roxas said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to look cute. "Come on. Don't you think it's a good idea? It definitely appeals to _me_."

"I…" Kim was at a loss for words. It took her a minute to find a reply, any way to explain herself to Roxas so that he would understand. "There's no way I'm going to let you do that. You don't have to be so nice. I can't stand the thought of you paying for rent and food and all that stuff while I just sit around, free-loading. I like taking care of myself, you know that."

"Okay, then. Let's make a deal." Roxas proposed. Kim looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You take care of the cleaning – you know how bad I am at that – and most of the cooking… and grocery shopping and stuff. I'll pay the bills and you can pay for food… as soon as you get a job. Just try it for a couple weeks and if you don't like it and want to find your own place, I'll understand."

Kim sighed. "Are you _ready_ for something like that? It's almost like we're acting like-"

"I know." Roxas grinned. "Like I said… The idea appeals to me."

Kim burst into laughter. She was laughing so hard she had to lean against the car for support. "Okay, Roxas. I'll give it a couple weeks. But if you try to pull any spouse-y pet names on me, I'm going to have to punch you."

Roxas almost jumped for joy. Instead, he just smiled, closing the distance between them again. He rested his hands firmly on her hips and kissed her forehead. "So… Are we done talking here for now? I'd very much like to kiss you again."

Kim ignored his comment. "You know… I didn't think telling you about my issues would help. But… somehow I feel a lot better. In fact, I feel really… light. Is this how you normally feel about everything with that idiotic expression you always have on your face? So carefree?" Kim looked up at the sky. It was dark and speckled with more stars than she'd ever seen at one time in her life. There were so many of them, all shining, completely visible away from the city lights. "I love it. I want to feel like this all the time." Kim looked back at Roxas. "Thank you for helping me. I really need to stop doubting you."

"Well, you know. They call me the miracle maker." Roxas grinned.

Kim stifled laughter. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"What?" Roxas chuckled hoarsely. "That wasn't meant to be sexual at all! I swear!"

"You really are an idiot." Kim poked him. "But I mean that in the nicest way possible." Roxas closed his eyes and sighed. Then he laughed again rested his head atop hers, resting there like that. Suddenly, he was very sleepy.

Kim kissed his adam's apple. "We should probably get going. The supposed future 'family' of mine is waiting."

This took Roxas by surprise. "Y-" he had to pause to put his words together in his head so they wouldn't come flooding out in a senseless babble. "You're really going to try and be nice to them? And be patient? Wow. I really did speak words of inspiration to you. This is the Best. Night. Ever."

Kim ignored him and tried to reach for her car door. Roxas stopped her.

"Hey. Where do you think you're going? We still have time."

"Everyone's going to wonder."

"Who cares? I'll get all their reactions later. I want to be here alone with you a little longer." Roxas protested.

"You look like you're about to pass out." Kim stated.

Roxas gave her a look. "Come on. You're looking at a man who's accomplished the feat of staying up an entire week without falling asleep. I can handle one night."

Kim grinned as Roxas kissed her cheek and lingered there for a moment, just leaning against her enough to support his tired legs that felt like they may give out any second.

"Whatever you say."

**000**

"See? I told you they wanted babies." Yuffee giggled, watching Roxas and Kim cling to each other through the trees with Selphie and Hayner. Olette hung around with Sora and Kairi, refusing to participate in the spying. Pence would have joined them if he wasn't so scared of Hayner destroying his camera.

"400 babies!" Hayner snickered, reminiscing of a YouTube video he'd watched on his computer right before the trip. (A/N: look up manergy on YouTube. Seriously.)

While those three gawked at Roxas and Kim, everyone else was exploring the camp site. It looked very much like the one they had stayed in a while back, minus the lake. There was a beat-up basket ball court and a small field within the protection of the trees, along with one small dorm building, a couple cabins, one long building that looked to be a lunch hall with the deck on the back overlooking a decent view of the farmlands beyond the campsite.

They had all been shocked to find that Roxas campsite was actually a _real_ campsite, though it looked like it hadn't been used in a century. Everything needed fixing up, but Aerith commented that that added to the peaceful, rustic environment of the place, and she liked the creaky floor boards and dusty windows and shelves.

Once everyone had gotten their fair share of exploring, or at least grew too tired to go on exploring until tomorrow, they grabbed their luggage and headed off for the dorm building in a big group to pick out rooms. There were 10 rooms total. 8 of the rooms had two sets of bunk beds, and the other two rooms were slightly bigger and had two regular beds. One of those two rooms was taken up by Namine and Riku, who found the energy in them to push the beds together to make one big bed before they began to dust it off and unroll their sleeping bags onto it. Axel and Reno stole the other room before anyone could get to it. Everyone else filed into the other rooms. Leon, Yuffee, Aerith, and Cloud shared a room, for example. Olette grabbed another room to share with Hayner, Selphie, and Pence. Much to Tidus's disappointment, he was excluded from Selphies room and shared one with Wakka, Sora, and Kairi. Riku's brother, Kyle, snagged a room right by the door, and when asked he said his room mate would be Roxas's dog, Max.

So there ended up being plenty of room left over when Roxas and Kim arrived, who took a room near the back with a rusty window that had a view of the field. Roxas took out one of his shirts from his bag (his favorite band shirt with _Offspring _written on it in blue letters on a black background) and began to wipe the dust off the window with it. Kim stared at him in shock. "Don't you want to… wear that sometime?"

"I will. Believe it or not, there's a small town about twenty minutes up the road from here with a department that has a washing and drying machine and bottled water."

"Oh." Kim leaned a shoulder against the wall. "I didn't think about what would happen when we ran out of water. That's stupid of me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it," Roxas grinned, "because I planned everything out, as much as Riku wants to take the credit for making this happen."

Kim smiled at him. "Screw Riku."

Roxas laughed. "Namine's already accomplished that."

Kim's features twisted into disgust. "Oh please. Let's _not_ go there."

This only made Roxas laugh harder. "Sorry."

When Roxas was done clearing up the window so they could see out of it, they stood there together admiring the scenery. Long grass was swaying in the slight breeze under the moonlight, the stars were still shining high above the trees, everything blending together in a picturesque image of wilderness. It made them both very sleepy.

They both fixed one of the lower bunks on the bunk bed attached to the wall opposite of the window together, where there was just enough room for both of them if they huddled together (something they were both comfortable with after the day's events). Roxas laid his sleeping bag on the mattress and set his big pillow on the end for them to share, and Kim unzipped her sleeping bag to it would act more as a blanket for them to curl up in. They had no problem getting close under the covers, one of the good reasons being that the temperature was glacial. Once they warmed up they finally fell asleep, Roxas's head rested in the curve of Kim's neck, his cheek pressed to her warm skin, and Kim's arms wrapped loosely around Roxas's shoulders, head resting right above his, their legs tangled together. It was the best sleep either of them had gotten in weeks.

**000**

"Hmm. Breakfast." Cloud stroked his chin, looking down at one of the several boxes of food the gang had brought. He pushed some of the blonde hair from his face, raking a hand through the tangled locks. Aeirth stood by waiting, quietly giggling at her boyfriend's bed-head.

Kyle walked by at that moment, carrying a box towards the dorms. Cloud looked up and asked, "what's in there?"

Kyle smiled deviously, wrapping his arms tighter around the box. Though he shared the same hair and eye color as Riku, the two couldn't be more different. Riku was more soft-spoken, compassionate, someone to look up to. Kyle, with his wicked smile and unnatural height was nothing short of scary. He didn't seem to bother Cloud, though. As always, Cloud was completely at ease, though Aerith may have taken the slightest step behind him. "Potato chips, Mountain dew, and dog food."

"Dog food?" Cloud asked, and then remembered. "Oh. Max. Roxas's dog."

Without another word, Kyle was on his way again. Cloud turned back around to continue examining the food in the box in front of him. "Let's see… Beans, Marshmallows, candy bars, Soup. Where's all the breakfast food?"

"There's cereal bars in here!" Aerith said, spotting some in a box to Could's left. She took out two cheerios cereal bars and tossed one at Cloud. Cloud caught his breakfast with one hand, tore open the package with his teeth, and dug in. Three bites and it was gone, and he was going for another one.

"Hey! Don't eat all the food!" It was Hayner, who had appeared out of nowhere. Pence was trailing behind him, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He had yet to change out of his pajamas, too. "We need enough to last. I don't want to have to drive into town, and everyone's knows I'd be the one stuck doing it."

"That's only because you're a pushover." Pence said as he yawned, and Hayner turned around and punched him in the gut. Pence doubled over half in pain and half in shock. "What? What?" He asked, looking up at Hayner through red eyes. "I was only joking! God!"

Ignoring Pence, Hayner picked up a Cocoa Puff Cereal bar and bit into it. He rubbed his stomach and said, "soooo hungry" while chewing. Cloud rolled his eyes and Aerith giggled.

When Pence Regained his composure, He shoved past Hayner (which only made Hayner laugh) and grabbed a cheerio's cereal bar for himself. Hayner patted Pence's shoulder. "Hey, man. I'm sorry. I guess I don't know how to control my muscles." Hayner flexed his biceps and grinned.

Pence just rolled his eyes and fled the scene, heading back to his room to eat in solitude.

**000**

When Olette woke up, Hayner was nowhere to be found. Usually he would wake her up in the earliest hours of the morning, always smiling and saying "Wakey wakey, shaky!" (a/n: I had a friend that would always do that. It didn't amuse me then, but thinking about it now, it makes me laugh). Even when they were not together in the same room like they were this last night, he never failed to wake her up at 6 am via her cell phone. Though she thought she wouldn't miss it when the day came that Hayner forgot to get her out of bed, she had to admit she was disappointed that Hayner's voice wasn't the first thing that she woke up to. It was Max's panting.

There Max was, his two front paws on the side of the bed, tongue hanging out, _breathing_ on her. When she opened her eyes and managed a "wha-?" Max gave her a big wet one on her right cheek. "Ungh!" she complained, whipping the slobber off her face with the back of her hand. Right at that moment, Riku's brother was standing in the doorframe.

"Oh! Max." Kyle smiled brightly. Olette looked at the time on her phone. How can anyone be that happy at 8 am in the morning? "There you are, buddy! Come here! Come on!" Kyle patted Max's head, gaining the dog's attention. "I have breakfast for you," Kyle said, then led the dog from the room. Before he left he looked back at Olette and gave an apologetic look. "Sorry."

Olette covered her face and sighed. "It's okay."

When Kyle shut the door behind himself, Olette dragged herself out of bed. Yawning, she reached for her bag and pulled out a grey T-shirt and some shorts. After taking a brush to her hair and pulling it all back in a ponytail, though, she put the shorts back and grabbed a pair of worn jeans and Hayner's warm blue sweater that was hanging from the bedpost. She rubbed some base into the skin on her face and put on some chapstick, and then she looked at her small hand-held mirror and shrugged, figuring she looked ok after the trip here. Was she supposed to look like a super model with the little sleep that she had gotten? No.

As soon as she left the old dorm building, she immediately spotted Hayner through one of the windows in the food hall. She headed that way and let herself in through the front door. Hayner looked up when she stepped inside, and a warm smile spread across his lips. He got up from whatever-it-was that he was doing (it looked like he and cloud were rummaging through the storage boxes for something) and gave her a hug. "Good morning, sleepy head."

"You let me sleep in," Olette said when he pulled away from her. "I think that's the first time you've ever let me do that."

"Yeah, well," Hayner shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I figured it was a long trip and… Okay, honestly, the thought of waking you up after you just spent like a week in a car scared the shit out of me."

Olette actually laughed at that.

"So," Hayner started bumping her shoulder with his, "why are you awake after I so kindly let you sleep? I thought you might not be awake until noon or something."

Olette put her hands on her hips. "You'd let me miss out on breakfast our first day here?"

Hayner bowed is head and grinned apologetically.

"I'd like to say that I woke up all on my own out of excitement for a cereal bar, but it's Max's fault I'm standing here right now."

It took Hayner a moment to process that. Finally, he got it. "Ooooh. The dog. I forgot that Roxas brought him."

Behind Hayner's shoulder Cloud laughed. "That's what I was saying earlier."

Olette looked in Cloud and Aerith's direction and smiled. "Hey Cloud, Hey Aerith. Good morning!"

Before the two could respond, Hayner took Olette's hand and leaning in close to her ear. "Want to take a walk or something?"

Olette nodded and followed Hayner out of the building, waving goodbye to Cloud and Aerith. Hayner kept a firm hold on her hand as they walked up the windy, gravely path towards the old basketball court (which was pretty much a big chunk of cement and two old nets on either side). Beyond that you could see through another big gap in the trees to a sea of grass swaying in the early morning breeze. The path Olette and Hayner were on swerved to the right of the court, heading up a slight hill and deeper into the trees, though there weren't really that many trees around. Just enough to where you couldn't see the farmland anymore.

The two kept up small talk for only a short while before they fell silent, and the only sound for a few minutes was the sound of their feet hitting the ground and the occasional bird chirping. Olette noticed when she looked up that the moon was still in the sky, and she narrowed her eyes at it – not out of anger but confusion. "I always found it funny how I could always see the moon during the daytime. It's just weird."

Hayner stopped, still keeping a hold on Olette's hand, and looked up. He grinned and said, "If I could ask God one thing, it would be to stop the moon. Stop the moon and make this night and your beauty last forever."

"What?"

"Some quote from A Knight's Tale. The moment seemed fitting enough to repeat it."

"What moment?" Olette laughed. "You're acting like a weird-o. _Really_, what was that about?"

Hayner looked at her, widening his eyes to make them look bigger. He batted his eyelashes and leaned towards her. "I was trying to be cute. What? Is it not working?"

Olette couldn't stop laughing. "You don't have to try to be cute, Hayner. You're already cute, to me. You don't need any fancy quotes to impress me."

Hayner pouted. "Oh, come on. I searched all over the internet for a cheesy quote like that and you don't even like it!"

"I didn't say that! What I'm saying is… I don't know. I like you the way you are. Be yourself. Say the things that you want to, not the things that people have already come up with. You know." Olette looked down. She figured she'd just better shut up now before she said something bizarre or stupid. She was always so terrible at explaining her thoughts to others. Especially Hayner.

"Hm. Things that I _want_ to say." Hayner contemplated. "As in, something from my heart?"

"Sure."

"Okay." Hayner grabbed Olette's other hand. He looked her square in the eyes with his rare, serious look that always made Olette's breath catch. He took a step closer, lowered his head almost level with hers, so close that Olette could smell his breath (which smelt like his breakfast).Hayner spared Olette any hesitation. "I love you," he said as if it were common knowledge, but his eyes were full of the love directed towards Olette in the three simple words, the seven simple letters… And Olette was speechless to reply.

Obviously satisfied, Hayner pulled away and grinned. "How's that for 'from my heart'?"

"Wow," was all Olette could stutter out for a moment. "You don't say _that_ often. And definitely not like _that_."

"What?" Hayner asked. He actually looked genuinely sad this time. "did I not tell you that I love you correctly or something?"

"No! no." Olette shook her head. "I don't mean that. I'm just trying to figure out how to reply. Saying 'I love you, too' just doesn't seem like enough."

Hayner grinned at her warmly. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, brushing a few strands of brunette hair from Olette's face. "I would have taken it graciously."

"Oh wait!" Olette smiled, and snatched Hayner's hand before he could lower it from her face. "I just thought of the perfect way to reply."

"Hm?" Hayner hummed, raising an eyebrow. Olette tugged at his hand, pulling him back closer to her, and a moment later her lips were pressed against his. It only took a second for Hayner's thoughts to catch up to what was going on, and he kissed her back happily. It wasn't an excessively passionate exchange of spit or anything, but sweet enough to put them both in a good mood for the rest of the day – this much was certain.

They walked the rest of the path hand-in-hand again, which led to the field that was just beyond the dorm building that most of the gang was just leaving, waking up hungry for lunch. Olette didn't realize it was already that time of day until she looked at her phone, which informed her that it was one pm. She saw Kairi dragging herself to the lunch hall, trying to keep up with Sora, whom seemed much more awake than his red-haired girlfriend. Olette laughed, thinking about all the times she would spend the night at Kairi's house and the next day there was no sign of Kairi even close to waking up until at least noon. A lot of the time her mother would have to come into the room with a horn or a siren to force Kairi awake.

"Hungry?" Hayner asked.

"A little." Olette admitted, suddenly feeling how empty her stomach was. Funny how one's never hungry until they haven't eaten for days or until they even thought about food. Olette was fine just a moment ago, but now with a cereal bar or a sandwich in her mind, she was suddenly starving.

"Sorry," Hayner kicked at the ground. "I didn't give you a chance to eat breakfast. Here, come on. Kyle brought one of those camping stoves. I'll make you something to eat."

"O-okay," Olette said, being dragged past the dorm to the building where most of the group (Kim, Leon, and Namine were probably still sleeping) was eating.

"It'll be delicious, I promise." Hayner bragged, which made Olette giggle a little.

"It's okay. I believe you."

**000**

"I have no idea what to eat for lunch," Sora complained, digging through a bunch of boxes. Immediately after he made this comment, Yuffee came up with a grand plan. She grabbed Selphie's arm with one hand and pumped her other into the air.

"Leave it to me!" She shouted. Selphie gave her the most bizarre look – a mix of terror and confusion.

When Sora turned around and saw Selphie's expression, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "What did you do to her? I don't think I've ever seen Selphie make a face like that."

Yuffee, who was oblivious to the fact that she just scared the living shit out of the poor girl she latched herself onto, looked down at Selphie with a raised eyebrow. When she saw the shock that still lingered in Selphie's features, she couldn't help but giggle a little. "Oops."

Selphie, who finally caught up with what was happening, looked up at Yuffee and sneered. "Never go that again. Never!"

Selphie's comment only made Sora laugh harder. "Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen her act serious, too."

They both ignored the spiky brunette and looked at each other once more. "Why are you grabbing my arm?" Selphie asked.

"I want you to help me make macaroni for everyone." Yuffee said simply, letting go of her hold on Selphie.

"Why Macaroni?" Sora asked.

"You object?" Yuffee asked.

"No," Sora said, waving a hand through the air absently. "I just don't think I've had a bowl of macaroni since, uh, I was 12."

Yuffee looked genuinely shocked. "Oh, you poor boy! Macaroni is the best of all lunches. Just wait until you try mine. I make it the best!"

Leon, who was just walking in now, heard the last three sentences of what Yuffee had just said. In a monotone he said, "No, you just add an absurd amount of butter."

Yuffee's eyes widened at him in horror. "Leon! That's so mean! Extra butter is not the only reason my macaroni tastes so delicious!" She then patted Selphie on the shoulder and said, "We'll show him. Come on, lets make Yuffee's famous macaroni supreme!"

"Do I have any say in this?" Selphie asked, looking at Sora. Sora just rolled his eyes and went to go see what Riku and Kyle were up to.

Riku turned around when he heard footsteps approaching him. "Namine-?"

Sora made a disguised face and punched Riku on his forearm playfully. "I am _not_ your girlfriend." After looking around, he added, "Where is she, anyway? Does she usually sleep past noon?"

"Nah," Riku said. "She usually wakes up when I do. It's just that it's been a long ways here and she's tired. So I let her sleep. Or… I just did my best not to wake her up."

"I did the same thing." Hayner joined the conversation. Olette had left his side to go talk to Kairi, who was with Pence, looking through the pictures he had taken of the camp so far.

A moment later Roxas had joined in, too, but his comment was directed at Kyle. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Debating with myself whether or not to pull out and unfold a couple of these tables. I could just bring in a couple of the camping chairs, but I really don't want to drag them all the way up here after I just set them up in the field for the fire tonight."

"Oh yeah! That bonfire everyone keeps going on about." Roxas said as Max appeared and took the opportunity of Roxas wearing knee-length pants to lick at his ankle. Roxas ruffled the fur on Max's blonde head, and the dog panted happily.

"I think 'bonfire' is exaggerating a little, but yeah."

"Do you want help taking down some of these? They're pretty big." Roxas offered.

Riku, Hayner, and Sora stepped out of the way as Roxas and Kyle moved to each side of the table that was folded up and pressed against the wall. Slowly, they pulled it away from the wall and unfolded it down in the place where the other boys were just standing.

"It looks just like the cafeteria tables we sat at in middle school," Sora commented on the table, which unfolded was long and had benches attached to either side for sitting. He reached down to wipe some dust off the table, and then looked at his dirty hand. "Ungh," Sora shook his head and groaned, "This needs a cleaning. Bad."

"I'll help clean it off. I think we might need another one of those, though. I'll help you pull out another one, Kyle." Hayner said. He cracked his knuckles as he walked over to another folded up cafeteria-table and helped Kyle unfold it. The two tables were now sitting beside each other, and Kyle took a step back to examine them.

"I'll go grab a bucket of water and some washcloths and stuff. Sora's right – they're disgusting. Even for me."

As Kyle walked away, Riku shifted his attention to Roxas. "Hey, you said that you used to come here with your dad when you were little, right? That means these things haven't even been touched in a looong time. This could take awhile."

"You'd better work fast." Kairi said, just now walking up with Pence and Olette to see what was going on. "it looks like Yuffee and Selphie just got started making everyone lunch."

"You want to help?" Roxas turned around to look at her. "It'll get done a lot faster."

"Sure, why not?" Kairi shrugged, grabbing Pence's shoulder before the boy could sneak away. "Why don't you help, too? You're not doing anything, are you?"

Pence sighed and hung his camera around his neck and nodded. Olette shot him a sympathetic look, trying to brighten his mood.

"Aw, come on Pence. Lighten up!" Hayner smacked Pence's shoulder. Pence flinched.

"Yeah, man!" Sora laughed. "It'll be fun! We'll sing the clean up song and everything!"

Kairi glared at him, and then Kyle was back. He brought with him a small bucket with soapy water in it, some sponges, a couple washcloths, and three large towels. "Alright you guys," Kyle said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "let's do this. Teamwork!"

**000**

Namine woke up to the sun shining in her face. It poured in from the dirty old window, blinding her when she tried to open her eyes. She eased herself up on her elbow, facing her head towards the pillow and rubbing her eyes. It only took her a moment after that to realize that Riku was gone, and instead of his head on the pillow next to hers there was a note. She picked it up and smiled. She loved it when Riku did cute things like this –write her notes, sneak candy into her pockets when he gave her hugs, leave roses lying around on the kitchen table when he knew that he wouldn't be able to be home when she was.

Without hesitation, Namine unfolded the note and read what it said inside.

_**"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."**_** – I forgot where I got this. But I know it's from one of those movies we rented at blockbuster. It just reminded me of you. **

**Anyways. Good morning, beautiful! I hope you slept well. I should be in the cafeteria building with everyone else. I will see you soon! I love you!**

Namine put the note down and smiled to herself. She was a lucky to girl to have such a thoughtful guy like Riku writing her love notes.

Namine pulled herself out of bed and stretched, yawning as she reached up above her head and rubbed her eyes again. She scuffled across the room to the pile of clothes that lay on the floor in the corner (Namine tore her bag apart the night before trying to figure out where she packed her pajamas before Riku finally handed over a pair of his gym shorts and a T-shirt). She rummaged through the pile and pulled out a light, white sweater, and purple tank top, and some denim shorts (it looked warm enough outside). After getting dressed she did her makeup and brushed out the knots in her hair before slipping on her sandals and leaving her room for the building that Riku claimed he would be in.

**000**

Kim was halfway to where everyone was eating lunch before she remembered about her cell phone. It was weird not having it in her pocket, so out of habit of not having it on her, she made a U-turn back for the dorm building to grab it. Just before she reached the front entrance Namine immerged from it. As soon as Namine looked up, she froze, and for once, so did Kim. Kim didn't shove past her, make any rude comments, or even glare. At most, she made Namine uncomfortable because she just stared at her for what had to be a full thirty seconds straight.

Kim finally looked down at the ground and kicked at a little rock with her sneaker, remembering the whole scene from last night that Namine had witnessed. Kim knew that Namine would find out eventually, because it didn't look like her relationship with Roxas was going to end, or at least not anytime soon. It was just a crude way to find out that one of your best friends has been dating the bitch that almost sent you to the hospital. And what with Kim trying to change her ways, she did her best to understand Namine's feelings… even though she really didn't want to. Roxas explained to Kim successfully that her urge to break a window with Namine's face was ridiculous.

"Uh, about earlier," Kim managed, trying not to bite her tongue. She couldn't believe that she was actually about to apologize to Namine. Kim had forgotten the reason she even hated Namine with such force in the first place, but she still felt the same way about her as she did at summer camp so long ago. Roxas better be damn grateful. Kim wouldn't have done it for anyone else. "I just wanted to say that-"

Namine held up her hand. "Save it."

Kim looked up, eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

"Look," Namine sighed, folded her arms, and looked to her side at nothing in particular, "you don't need to apologize for wanting to be with Roxas – I know it's not some scheme of yours to ruin my life or anything, and it would be really selfish of me to think so. I know you don't like me, and I don't like you, but I'm willing to work with you on this one, because Roxas seems really happy. Just don't hurt him, though, because then we'll _really_ have some issues." Namine looked back at Kim, and bit her lip, looking like she was feeling the same thing Kim was feeling earlier – about not wanting to say something she really needed to say. "Since we're going to be around each other a lot, now, considering Roxas is one of my best friends, I'll try not to hate you so much if you do the same for me. I don't want you to have to not hang around Roxas as much because you want to avoid me, and I don't want Roxas not hanging around me as much because it makes you uncomfortable. All I'm saying is…let's just try and get along. For Roxas. And… I talked to Riku about it earlier and he says maybe someday you and I could be friends. It's just an idea, and the thought makes me sick, but I have to admit that if you and Roxas never split up it's definitely possible. But the main thing I just wanted to get out was that I'm not mad at you or going to hold a grudge on you about that whole thing at that restaurant. Okay?" Namine unfolded her arms and at least seemed as though she meant it.

Kim sighed with relief and nodded. To even her own surprise, Kim managed a tiny smile._ Just wait until I tell Roxas, _Kim thought. _He'll be bouncing off the walls._

"Okay." To Kim's greater surprise, she even added, "You're right. I guess in the far off future that's possible. And thank you for understanding about me and Roxas. I'm really not using him to get to you."

Namine swallowed and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, okay. Alright. So I guess I'll see you around." With that, Namine picked up where she left off to go find Riku.

Kim just watched as Namine walked past her. "Yeah, I guess."

**000**

"When Harry met Sally," Namine said, taking a seat next to Riku at a long table with benches resembling the ones she sat at in middle school. It was freshly scrubbed, and reeked of soap.

"What?" Riku asked, confused at her suddenness. Nonetheless he draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead, welcoming her. He then shifted his attention to his macaroni, specially made by Yuffee and Selphie, picking through it with a plastic fork.

"That quote. That's where it came from. I'm surprised you don't remember – it was a really good movie." Namine explained.

"Ooooh." Riku laughed and shrugged. "I remember now. But we watch a lot of movies. It's easy to forget exact titles."

"Macaroni?" Namine asked, switching subjects. Riku smiled at her and offered her a bite, which she refused.

"Yuffee's special recipe. Macaroni from a box with a crap load of extra butter." When Namine looked disgusted, Riku laughed louder. "There's cereal bars in one of the boxes by the back."

Namine nodded. "I'll grab one in a minute. I have to tell you something."

Riku looked at her. When he waited a second and she didn't continue, he asked, "Ok. What is it?"

Namine gave him a smile of self praising. "I talked to Kim!"

Riku suddenly gained a higher level of interest. "Oh?" he asked. He turned his body completely towards her and pushed aside his lunch. "What did you say?"

Namine thought for a moment, choosing her words. "Well, I told her I didn't like her."

Riku shook his head. "I don't understand how that helps at all."

Namine held up a hand to him. "Wait, I said more," she continued, "I said that even though it was obvious we both hate each other, we should try to get along. You know, for Roxas's sake. And then I said that possibly, maybe in the distant future we could end up friends. But I didn't push that last bit."

"What did she say to that?"

"She agreed. She goes, 'I guess.'" Namine told.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"More or less," Namine admitted.

Riku nodded his head and shrugged. He shot her a big, toothy smile. "Well, that's a start, right?" When Namine said nothing, he went on. "She's not all that bad, I think. Roxas says she's really changed since last year. I mean, she's still very… intense… but the old Kim that I knew would have just punched you. Or something along that line. I'd cut her some slack. Roxas wants you to know that Kim's really trying. It's just hard to change."

Namine sighed. She opened her mouth to say something in response, but before any words came out Kim walked through the door and looked directly at her. It wasn't on purpose, and as soon as Kim realized Namine caught her looking, she smiled. It was forced, but it was a smile nonetheless. Namine couldn't help but feel shocked, and also slightly uncomfortable. Before she could manage a smile in return, Kim shifted her attention to Roxas, who looked up at the brunette and smiled with an affection that made Namine even _more_ uncomfortable. She noticed Roxas's hand move to Kim's knee when she sat next to him, and was sure that others had taken notice too.

"That's going to take some getting used to," Namine half-whispered to Riku, averting her eyes.

Riku tried not to laugh. "But did you catch that? She smiled at you." As Riku was saying this, Namine looked over at Kim again and was shocked to see she was making small talk with Hayner. Had she ever said a word to ninety percent of the people in the room? Hayner seemed just as surprised as Namine felt, but chatted with Kim in the friendliest tone he could manage. Namine strained to hear what they were talking about.

"Staring isn't polite," Riku pointed out. He poked her shoulder teasingly.

Namine rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'm going to grab a cereal bar, and then go check out this place a little bit more. You can come, if you want."

"Sure," Riku grinned, pushing his bowl of macaroni even further away from himself. "I would love to go with you."

Pence and Kyle, who were sitting across from them, suddenly looked up and halted their conversation about how they were going to make a bonfire work tonight without burning up the field. Namine wondered where Axel and Reno were – why weren't they part of that discussion?

Pence and Kyle opened their mouths at the same time. Kyle said, "Dude, you leaving?" as Pence was saying, "Are you not going to eat that macaroni? Because I'll totally eat it for you." They looked at each other and chuckled.

"Yeah, sure," Riku pushed the macaroni across the table to Pence. He turned to Kyle and said,"Namine and I are going to do some exploring. I'll be back eventually."

Kyle snickered. "I could make a dirty joke out of what you just said."

Namine shook her head at him, and Riku rolled his eyes. Riku went over to go say something to Sora as Namine dug though several boxes until she found the cereal bars. With that, the two escaped together, leaving everyone behind to eat lunch without them.

**000**

Kim wanted to shoot herself. She didn't want to hear about how funny Hayner thought it was that Max woke Olette up that morning, or how exciting the bonfire was supposed to be tonight. She didn't want to hear about how he cleaned the ugly tables they sat at or how glad he was that they were finally off the road. Roxas gave her a look of encouragement every time she met his gaze, so she looked down and tried to just focus on the warmth coming from Roxas's hand on her knee. She placed her own hand over his, and he turned his palm up so that he could wrap his fingers around hers. It was odd that he would grab her hand and caress it with his thumb so publically, but it hardly mattered anymore anyways. Everyone knew. That was something else she was going to have to get used to.

Thankfully, Kim mentally returned to her conversation at the right moment, catching Hayner's question. He asked, "You and Roxas are going to be there with everyone else at the bonfire, right?"

Kim gave him a look. "Uh, yeah… I'm not sure where else we'd be. There's not too much to do in the middle of nowhere."

Apparently, Hayner thought this was funny and laughed. Kim held back an urge to roll her eyes. She looked up at Roxas, and he just squeezed her hand in response.

Hayner opened his mouth to keep blabing, but was interrupted by a, "Hey, guys!" from Sora, who had sat down next to Kim so suddenly that it was like he had jumped on the seat, making the whole table shake. Kim flinched.

"Whoa, man!" Roxas and Hayner complained, but chuckled at Kim's response. She quickly regained her composure, and mentally patted herself on the shoulder for not cursing Sora into oblivion.

"Sorry," Sora grinned awkwardly while rubbing his neck. Kim looked over her shoulder at the rest of the room, wondering if Kairi was close by, too. She saw that Kairi was talking to Olette and the two were headed to the deck out back. Their tones were hushed, and Kim tried her damndest to not automatically accuse them of talking about her behind her back. She turned her attention back to Roxas's hand and leaned into the side of his body slightly. And then she started thinking. How odd was this, that she was forcing herself to interact _positively_ with Roxas's friends, and that she was leaning on him and enjoying her hand in his like he was some sort of protective force.

Kim shook her head at herself. She was changing, that was for sure. Whether she liked that fact or not, she wasn't sure. But Roxas assured her that that kind of change was for the better, and that it wasn't like she was changing who she was – just her attitude. And she knew that she'd be happier if she learned to trust people. It was just difficult, and still felt slightly wrong. Those feelings would fade over time, she guessed. It wasn't like she had a limited time to practice her people skills on Roxas's friends – it didn't look like they'd be breaking up for a long time, if ever. She was also surprised to find that that made her feel very warm. She couldn't help but lean into Roxas a little more, while feeling a little bit more pathetic all the while. Oh, well.

**000**

"I'm impressed," Kairi was saying to Olette as they stepped out onto the deck in the back of the lunch hall, which had a pretty view of the farmland through the trees.

"I know!" Olette gushed, gesturing with her hands. "Who knew just adding extra butter could make macaroni so much more delicious? I think I'm going to be hooked on macaroni for a week now. I felt like such a cow, but I had to get seconds. I just couldn't stay a-"

"No, not the macaroni," Kairi laughed, "I'm talking about Kim."

"Oh?" Olette asked, leaning on the railing, looking out at what she could see of the fields of swaying wheat. The sun seemed to reflect itself off their golden color, making them seem almost luminous. A scene like this could warm you up to a place and turn it into a second home quickly.

"Did you see her talking to Hayner? Well, more like just listening, but still. She paid him attention! Sora went over there to be a part of it, see what kind of things he could get her to talk about." Kairi looked up at the blue, endless sky thoughtfully. "It kind of makes me wonder, too. What does she talk about? She's been hanging with Roxas so long, but I've hardly heard a word come out of her mouth. Well, other than mean things. But, you know, I don't count that as talking. I count it as something else entirely."

Olette didn't ask what Kairi meant. "Yeah. Hayner said Roxas was trying to get her to change. Not that I think that's such a good thing, but…"

"It's not bad change, though. I mean, if he was trying to change what she was interested in or something like that, that wouldn't be good. But he's trying to get her to be more social and less grouchy, you know? And he's not forcing her. It only took him a year to get Kim to _talk_."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. I was just saying. I've grown up with Roxas, I know he's not the kind of guy who would tell someone they have to change who they are, even if that person was someone like… Oh gosh, I don't know. Just a really bad person."

"It kind of makes me want to go talk to her too…" Kairi trailed off. "But… how awkward would that be? I don't want to overwhelm her or anything. She seemed pretty uncomfortable already, and I'm… kind of really close to Namine, you know? Those girls hate each other – but you know that. Everyone knows that."

"Maybe at the bonfire?" Olette questioned. "That would be a good time to try and talk to her."

Kairi snickered. "Yeah. I wonder if Namine and Riku will be there this time." (A/N: for those of you who haven't read Another Story 1, this won't make sense. Let's just say Riku and Namine were very busy… playing the hokey pokey).

Olette shuddered. "Hey, don't remind me about that!"

Both girls burst into laughter then, just as Sora was coming out onto the deck to join them.

"Wow," Kairi commented, "that was quick."

Sora shrugged.

"Was she mean?"Olette asked. "Or what?"

Sora shook his head from side to side. "Nah. Roxas wanted to go check on his dog. Of course, Kim followed."

"Did she say anything to you before she left?" Kairi questioned.

"Yeah," Sora said wrapped his arms around Kairi's waist. He gave her a little squeeze. "She said, 'I'll see you later, Sora.'"

"Wow," Olette took a step away from them, suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

Sora turned to her and his face lit up. "I know! She said my name and everything!"

Kairi snickered and kissed Sora's cheek. "How exciiiiiting."

Olette wrinkled her nose, deciding she'd had enough of Sora and Kairi and would leave them to their own business. "I'm going to go eat some more of that macaroni." With this, she slipped away through the back door.

The couple stood together in silence for a few moments before Sora leaned down and nuzzled Kairi' neck. "Well, looky looky. We're alone."

"That we are…" Kairi narrowed her eyes and took on a hushed, sultry tone. "alone in the wilderness. I've fantasized about this."

"Oh have you now, honeybuns?" Sora returned her statement with a raised eyebrow.

"Honeybuns?" Kairi almost burst into laughter. "What did I tell you about petnames? You know how I love it when you say my name."

Sora lowered his hands ever so slightly and brushed his lips against Kairi's ear. "Kairi," he whispered. Then he kissed her jaw line and repeated himself, and then repeated himself one more time while kissing her cheek. Then her chin, her nose, her forehead, and finally her lips. Kairi burst into a fit of shy giggles.

"I feel like we should take this someplace more private," Kairi tested, giving her boyfriend a look of false innocence.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing."

**000**

Namine was pleased that Riku knew what she really meant when she said she was going to go "exploring." Kyle wasn't too far off when he said he could make a dirty joke out of what she'd said. Oh no. Not far off at all.

Within one tenth of a second of their bedroom door being shut they were all over each other with Namine pressed to the door by Riku's strong, wandering hands. It's been so long since they'd first hooked up, and they still couldn't keep their hands off of each other for more than a few hours.

Riku pressed his body in a hungry way against Namine's as he kissed a trail down her neck, and she bit her lip and tangled her fingers in his silver hair. Not much more time than a couple of minutes passed before Namine was leading Riku across the tiny room by his belt loops, lips pressed hot against his. Riku lifted Namine up off the floor and laid her down on the bed, keeping his body still pressed to hers as he did so. Every cell in their bodies felt magnetic – even more so than usual.

Namine kept her mouth against Riku's as long as she could stand, kissing and licking and biting his lower lip before she came up for air, at which point Riku returned to her neck and made his way towards her collarbone. Namine giggled in response, closing her eyes and relaxing into the mattress. She felt Riku's hand wander just under her shirt and grip her side with a cold hand, making her giggle even more. She wiggled underneath him and he looked up at her with the wickedest, most wondrous smile Namine had ever seen in her life. It only made her crave more. She reached a hand up to grab the back of Riku's neck and bring his face to hers again, attacking his lips with a force that would give her father have a heart attack. It wasn't hard to tell what was on Namine's mind.

Namine was in the process of pulling her shirt over her head when Riku made a pained sigh and put a hand over hers to stop her. He pressed his eyes closed tight and looked as though he were trying really hard to focus.

"Uhhnn…" he whined as he pulled away from her, rolling onto the bed next to her. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to look as un-frustrated as possible. "Wow. I really want to do this. But we can't."

"Why?" Namine frowned, turning towards him and propping herself up on her elbow. "What's wrong? No one's going to walk in on us."

"No, it's not that." Riku looked at her. "We have to go to that bonfire this time. Remember? I told everyone we'd be there. And if we didn't show up… well everyone wouldn't have a hard time putting 2 and 2 together. You know?"

Namine gave him a look of scrutiny. "Uhh, bonfire's not or hours playboy. We've got time. And it might be the only chance we get for while we're here."

Riku grinned and kissed Namine's forehead. He turned towards her and draped an arm across her body, pressing his hand against her lower back. "You know if we start this now there's no way we're going to make it down there. I don't know about you, but when I'm done with you I'm going to be all sweaty and tired. The only thing I'm going to want to do is take a nap."

Namine couldn't argue with the logic. She knew that's exactly what would happen, and she'd be equally as exhausted.

"So what now?" she asked. She rested her head on Riku's chest and cuddled into his side.

"Maybe we should take a walk," Riku joked, playing with a lock of Namine's hair. "Otherwise there's a dangerous chance I might change my mind."

"Change your mind."

"No."

Namine laughed. "How opposite is this? The man is denying his woman."

"Damn right I am. Now let's go take a hike or something." Riku snickered, curling his arms underneath Namine's body and lifting her up off the bed with him and out the door.

**000**

Axel, Reno, Leon, Cloud, Kyle, and Hayner gathered in the field just as the sun was beginning to set. Tidus and Wakka went off with rusty old wheelbarrows found in the shed next to the lunch hall to find extra wood to feed the fire Axel and Reno were getting ready to start on the pile of wood and other burnable material that was so massive it was almost as tall as they were.

"Huh," Cloud said, patting Hayner on the shoulder. "How long did it take you guys to build this beast of a pile?"

"About an hour, believe it or not," Kyle said before Hayner had the chance. "No thanks to you, man."

"Yeah," Hayner agreed. "You poor, whipped fool. While you were off with your dear ladyfriend we were in the woods being manly, building what you are now about to enjoy. Even I can keep my hands off Olette for a few hours to get shit done."

Hayner's tone was one of good humor, but Cloud narrowed his eyes and was about to shoot something back when Selphie came and Yuffee came bounding out of nowhere towards them exclaiming, "Yaaay! Bonfire! We're so exited!" in perfect unison. Yuffee came right up to Leon and ruffled his hair, putting a sassy hand on her hips and winking at him. "Good job, Leah. Look faaaaaaaaan-tastic!"

"Leon," Leon corrected, as if Yuffee were actually listening to him. Her attention had already shifted Cloud.

"Where's Aeirth?" She asked, concerned about the whereabouts of her friend.

Cloud pointed up the hill. "Back at the kitchen with Olette," he explained, "cleaning up your mess."

"Oh."

"How much longer until we can light this son-of-a-bitch?" Reno snickered, asking no specific person. Axel made a look of longing at the pile.

"I'd give it another hour before it's really starting to get dark," Kyle suggested, taking a seat in the grass to rest his legs. Hayner and Cloud joined him. Yuffee and Selphie hesitated, and then decided to head back for the dorms to grab a couple blankets and such to sit on.

"We'll be right back!" they called.

"Wait!" Hayner got up and dashed after them to help them find the lawn chairs he found behind the lunch hall. They weren't necessarily squeaky clean, but they had an hour to fix that. Leon stalked off toward the couple of benches scattered around the field to drag them one by one back to and around the pile. Tidus and Wakka, who arrived shortly after with a supply of food for the fire, made quick to help him.

Roughly a half hour later and everyone was showing up to gather around the still un-lit pile, and Hayner returned with Yuffee and Selphie and a couple dusted-and-scrubbed plastic lawn chairs. With those and the benched there was more than enough places to sit, but Kyle and Cloud kept their seats on the grass and watched as everyone shuffled around them in excitement, picking their spots and who they would sit next to for the night.

Riku and Namine even showed up after not too long, right before Axel and Reno were given the signal to let it burn. In an exciting explosion, the pile was lit and sparks of debris and light rose high into the air in front of everyone, setting a beautiful, relaxing atmosphere for the group to hang out and stay warm through the coming few hours.

Last to show up, 15 minutes after the fire was started, was Kim and Roxas. With them, they brought gifts of s'mores materials and hotdogs. They sat on a bench next to Pence and Yuffee, and Roxas draped the blanket he brought from his room around Kims shoulders and then hugged an arm around her waist to keep her warm and close to him. For the first time today, nobody started at them together like that as though they were aliens. Kim turned to make easy, small talk with Pence as best she could, and Pence took out his camera to start taking pictures for the night. He used Kim and Roxas as his first subject, capturing the two huddled together in the light of the bonfire. Kim smiled genuinely for this, and Pence promised to give the, both a copy once they got back home. Then he averted his attention to the rest of the crowd and commenced his photographing of that glorious night.

"Wow," Namine said to Riku on the other side of the bonfire. "You know, this doesn't compare to what we almost were about to do, but it's sure beautiful. And warm. Very warm." Namine put both her hands out to warm them closer to the heat of the fire. "I'm glad we came."

"It's nice to be all here at once, too. Like back at Olive it." Riku added. "There's so many of us, it's rare that we're all at the same place at the same time."

"I hear ya," Sora said, walking up to them with Kairi and taking a seat on the bench. Kairi cuddled into his lap and gave Namine a big smile. Namine prayed that she hadn't heard all of what she'd just said. There would be relentless teasing later if so.

Next to them, Kyle, Cloud, Aerith, and Leon, who were all sitting together in the grass, broke out the first of the marshmallows. Kyle leaned over towards Namine and lifted up the bag for her and the sticks he's helped Hayner clean sometime prior to lunch. "Take one, pass it around." He said with a grin. Namine obliged.

Could patted Aerith's leg and said, "this completely beats going on vacation with your parents to Hawaii."

Aerith looked stunned, but appreciative. "Really? You think so?"

"Hell yeah." Cloud nodded with vigor. "We're all here together, this bonfire is freaking amazing, and this camp is pretty cool. And no offense to your parents or Hawaii, but it's weird around the parentals, you know? Even mine. And Hawaii's overcrowded."

"Agreed." Aerith nodded as well, then took a happy bite of her perfectly roasted marshmallow. Cloud shoved his entire burnt marshmallow into his mouth.

Leon got up and grabbed a couple of pieces of wood from the wheelbarrows to feed the fire. Then he settled back in the grass next to Kyle, who turned to him and said, "Man, why do you always seem so grumpy? Lighten up!"

Leon laughed halfheartedly. "I'm actually enjoying myself right now. And that explosion was the stuff dreams are made of."

Kyle punched Leon on the arm. "That's the spirit!" Riku laughed at his brother.

Yuffee pointed in their direction. "Ha! Ha! Leon laughed! Did anyone else but me see that?" she asked, turning to Selphie, who was sitting in one of the lawn chairs side by side with Tidus and then Wakka.

All Selphie was interested in was the bag of marshmallows Yuffee forgot to pass. "Gimme!" she said, snatching them out of her friends lap. She let go of Tidus's hand to snatch a handful of the fluffy white things, only to stuff them into her mouth one by one without even roasting them.

Tidus laughed at her and took a stick and two marshmallows before passing them onto wakka, who was deep in conversation with Cloud at the moment about the dynamics of blitzball.

Everyone continued to chat and eat and laugh together like this until there was no more extra wood left and the bonfire was dying out, no longer shielding them from the brutal cold of the night or helping to keep them awake in these late hours. One by one, and sometimes in groups of two they broke off from the group for the dorms and a bed that awaited them for a good night's rest. Riku and Namine, apart from Axel and Reno (who were in charge of properly putting out what was left of the fire) were the only two left. They cuddled together, looking up at the sky and admiring the billions of glittery, luminous stars scattered throughout the expansive blackness that seemed especially endless that night. "It's just like old times," Riku murmured into the silence after Reno and Axel said their goodbyes and left. The couple was finally alone. Namine nodded and rested her chin on Riku's shoulder, looking up at him with an expression that said more than words. Riku kissed her, pinching her chin between his finger and his thumb, and murmured Namine's three favorite words in the whole wide world. She wanted this night to never end, though it eventually would, like all things in life. She knew this, but she lingered in the moment still, trusting that whatever lay beyond this point and whatever the future had in store would work itself out. There was no point in worrying if any of this would last, if they would all be together like this forever and everything would remain unchanging through their senior year. For right now, she was warm in Riku's arms with all of her closest friends not much further than a couple of yards away. And the rest was another story.

**A/N:** har har har, how clever am I? and the last 2 words in the series are "another story."Bahahahaha!

SO? How was it! I know it may seem a little… maybe unfinished? But I needed to end it somewhere or else it would never end and would keep going on endlessly. So here we are! And it was fluffy like I promised, no? Sorry if the focus seemed a bit too much on Kim and Roxas. This story was essentially meant to be mainly about Riku and Namine, though I know there are many Kim/Roxas fans out there.

Ok but anyways:

We're done! I'm done! Another Story is DONE! Can you believe it? Its going to take a week for me to actually have this sink in! But I'm so excited. Though I'm sad this is the end of a story that's been in the works for 3 or 4 years now, I'm ready to focus on my stories without feeling guilty about not focusing on this one.

All of you reviewers each own a special piece of my heart! Thank you so much for sticking with me all this time! I love you all so very much! It's been a long, long ride. I will never forget how you all and this site changed my life forever. Look for me on bookshelves in a couple of years!

Leave one last review for me, everyone! I know you can do it. One last goodbye for my last chapter, last story, last thing to be posted on my profile! (well, maybe I'll give in on certain special occasions, but don't count on it! I got stories to develop, real books to write!)

One last and final time, I love you, farewell, review, and we will meet again soon! There will be a special acknowledgement to all of you in each and every one of my future books to be published for being there for me. Goodbye and goodnight, my friends! Muah!

-Crackerjacks


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